Clinical and demographic characteristics of patients with multiple sclerosis
Main Article Content
Keywords
Multiple sclerosis, Epidemiology
Abstract
Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease whose physiopathogenesis shows a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors. Given that those factors have not been documented in our country, we describe the clinical and demographic characteristics from a sample of patients with MS.
Methods: We carried out an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, and retrolective study in a Center for Demyelinating Diseases. We took the information from the clinical records of a sample of patients with multiple sclerosis, who arrived to the center from April 2014 to July 2015.
Results: We obtained data from 313 patients, out of which 65.5 % were women. Mean age was 41 years (SD 11.22). Minimum age of diagnosis was 12 years and maximum, 66 years; mean age of diagnosis was 32 years (SD 9.72). With regards to clinical variables, 3.4 % presented radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS), 82 % relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), 13.9 % secondary-progressive MS (SPMS), and 0.8 % primary-progressive MS (PPMS). Of all the patients, 10 % had first or second degree relatives with diagnosis of this disease; 16 % had foreign ancestors; 27 % were smokers. Treatment consisted of glatiramer acetate, 28 %; intramuscular interferon beta 1a, 18 %; subcutaneous interferon beta 1a, 16 %; subcutaneous interferon beta 1b, 30 %; fingolimod, 3 %; and others, 5 %.
Conclusions: Clinical and demographic characteristics are similar to those reported in international literature. More studies would be needed to typify Mexican population with MS.
References
Hartung HP, Aktas O, Menge T, Kieseier B. Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders: Immune regulation of multiple sclerosis. Handb Clin Neurol. 2014;122:3-14. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-52001-2.00001-7.
Compston A, Coles A. Multiple sclerosis. Lancet. 2008 Oct 25;372(9648):1502-17. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61620-7.
Ramagopalan S, Dobson R, Meier U, Giovannoni G. Multiple sclerosis: risk factors, prodromes, and potential causal pathways. Lancet Neurol. 2010 Jul;9(7):727-39. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(10)70094-6.
Simpson S, Taylor B, Van Der Mei I. The role of epidemiology in MS research: Past successes, current challenges and future potential. Mult Scler. 2015 Jul;21(8):969-77. doi: 10.1177/1352458515574896.
Multiple Sclerosis International Federation. Atlas of Multiple Sclerosis 2013: Mapping Multiple Sclerosis Around the World. London: Multiple Sclerosis International Federation; 2013. Disponible en http://www.msif.org/about-ms/publications-and-resources/
Corona T, Flores J. Esclerosis Múltiple (EM) en América Latina. Revista Española de Esclerosis Múltiple. 2009;12:5-8.
Torkildsen Ø, Aarseth J, Benjaminsen E, Celius E, Holmøy T. Month of birth and risk of multiple sclerosis: confounding and adjustments. Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2014 Feb; 1(2):141-4. doi: 10.1002/acn3.37
Staples J, Ponsonby AL, Lim L. Low maternal exposure to ultraviolet radiation in pregnancy, month of birth, and risk of multiple sclerosis in offspring: longitudinal analysis. BMJ. 2010;340:c1640.
Marrie RA. Demographic, Genetic, and Environmental Factors That Modify Disease Course. Neurol Clin. 2011 May;29(2):323-41. doi: 10.1016/j.ncl.2010.12.004.
Rice G. The genetic epidemiology of multiple sclerosis. Continuum: Lifelong Learning in Neurology. 2004;10(6):28-37.
Shirani A, Tremlett H. The effect of smoking on the symptoms and progression of multiple sclerosis: a review. J Inflamm Res. 2010;3:115-26.