The Relationship of Concentrations of Lead and Zinc and Multiple Sclerosis in Isfahan Province, Iran

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common diseases in neurology and mostly occurs in young adults. The disease is clinically characterized by the involvement of different parts of the central nervous system at different times. Not a cause for the disease has been obtained, and this study aimed to intend benefiting from geographical information system (GIS) to explore a possible link between the disease and environmental factors. In this research, regions of cities of Najaf Abad, Isfahan, and Mobarake in the west of Isfahan Province were studied. Several soil samples were taken from each area and to measure the lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) concentrations, atomic absorption spectrophotometer model (Pye Unicam, SPQ) was used. The epidemiology of multiple sclerosis during 2008-2012 was obtained from Isfahan Health Center and the GIS maps of material dispersion and the disease were traced. A significant portion of multiple sclerosis was consistent with the distribution of lead in the study areas; but the disease had little to do with the distribution of zing. The mapping showed that areas with a high prevalence of multiple sclerosis are consistent with the high contaminants such as lead; this adaptation can explain the association of the disease and environmental factors.