Evidence of an increased prevalence of multiple sclerosis: a population-based study of Tehran registry during 1999–2018

Abstract

Background: The epidemiological characteristics of multiple sclerosis (MS) have been investigated in various studies, which have revealed that the prevalence of MS varies across countries. The present study was conducted to investigate the longitudinal prevalence of MS in Tehran, Iran. Methods: The present population-based study was conducted in Tehran, the capital of Iran from 1999 to 2018 based on the annual report data provided by the Iranian MS Society (IMSS) registry system. The age-standardized and crude prevalence were estimated using population data presented by the Statistical Centre of Iran. Results: A total of 21,580 MS cases were registered and included in the analysis. Among the participant patients, 24.99% (5393) and 75.01% (16,187) of cases were male and female, respectively. The mean age of MS onset was 28.8 years (S.D: 8.7). The age-standardized prevalence (ASP) of MS increased from 73.7 (95%CI: 72.1-75.2) per 100,000 people in 2006 to 137.6 (95% CI: 135.7-139.5) per 100,000 people in 2018. The ASP of MS in 2018 was estimated to be 67.9 (95%CI: 66.0-69.8) and 207.3 (95%CI: 204.0-210.7) per 100,000 people among males and females, respectively. The age-standardized female-to-male ratio of MS ranged from 3.7 (in 2010) to 2.06 (in 2017). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggested that the prevalence of MS in Tehran province is relatively high, and the occurrence of the disease is more common in the age groups under 40 years as compared with olderaged groups. In line with reports provided for various regions of the world, the prevalence of MS was higher among women. Similarly, the findings of this study revealed that the female-to-male ratio was 2.14 in 2018.

Characteristics of COVID-19 in patients with multiple sclerosis

“…Multiple sclerosis (MS) with an age-adjusted prevalence of 137.6 and incidence of 6.7 per 100000 is a common neurologic disease in Iran ( Almasi-Hashiani et al, 2020 ; Hosseinzadeh et al, 2019 ). A recent systematic review showed high and rising prevalence in the country ( Azami et al, 2019 ).…”

Cost-effectiveness analysis of rituximab versus natalizumab in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis

“…The disease usually occurs at the age of 20-50 and is about 3 times more common among women than men [ 4 ]. The prevalence of MS in Iran has also increased significantly in recent years, reaching from 73.7 per 100,000 in 2006 to 137.6 per 100,000 in 2018 [ 5 ]. According to the studies carried out from 2011 to 2020 in different provinces, the prevalence of the disease in Iran ranged from 27.7 per 100,000 in East Azerbaijan to 148.06 per 100,000 in Tehran [ 6 – 12 ].…”

Adverse events reported by Iranian patients with multiple sclerosis after the first dose of Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV

“…Evidence suggests that Multiple Sclerosis (MS) prevalence has been rising in Iran in the recent years [1] . Immune system modulation or suppression is the key approach in MS treatment modalities.…”