Multiple Sclerosis in the Asia Pacific Region: A Systematic Review of a Neglected Neurological Disease

Abstract

Background: Multiple sclerosis is thought to be relatively uncommon in the Asia Pacific region with prevalence estimated between 0 and 20 per 100,000. There is reason to doubt these estimates due to the lack of data from many countries and the growing evidence of variability in prevalence across small geographic areas. This study was conducted to systematically review the population prevalence, incidence, mortality and disability progression estimates of MS within the Asia Pacific region.Methods: The systematic review was conducted on articles from 1985 till 31st July 2017 within the PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and The Cochrane Library databases. The review included articles that were population-based studies conducted on patients with MS in the Asia Pacific region that reported either incidence, prevalence, mortality, or disease progression. Hospital-based studies and non-research articles were excluded to ensure that only information representative of the population was included for analysis. Data appraisal and extraction was done by independent reviewers. This review was registered with PROSPERO (ID: CRD42017082760).Findings: Of the 2,757 articles found, 16 studies were included. Information on 6 (18.75%) of 32 Asia Pacific countries was found, with data representing 8% of the total population. Prevalence estimates were available for 6 countries while estimates for incidence (3 countries), mortality (4 countries), and disease progression (2 countries) were limited.Interpretation: The lack of epidemiological data available in the Asia Pacific region creates a blind spot in the surveillance of MS which obscures the true burden of MS, causing patients to struggle to receive the resources and funding that they need.

Association between age at onset of multiple sclerosis and vitamin D level in Saudi population

“…Worldwide, women are more likely than men to suffer from multiple sclerosis in a ratio of 2 to 1. 6 MS presenting in the hospital setting is increased in KSA than reported previously. There are many factors underlying these changes, such as lifestyle modifications, changes in a certain environmental element, or simply an increased awareness and better diagnosis of the disease.…”

Contract Comprehension: Prudent Takaful Claim Decision

“…Besides, the estimated prevalence of MS in Taiwan, Korea, China, South East Asia, and the Pacific was between 0 and 5 per 100,000 people. However, the rate of MS in the Asia Pacific had increased, which was estimated 0 to 20 per 100,000 (Cheong, Mohan, Warren, & Reidpath, 2018). The statistics for MS in Asia Pacific Region was difficult to estimate due to a lack of epidemiological data available.…”

Economic costs incurred by the patients with multiple sclerosis at different levels of the disease: a cross-sectional study in Northwest Iran

“…Studying the disease status in pwms and the costs incurred by them is one of the essential requirements for managing this disease. There is a dearth of materials in low and middle-income countries, especially focusing on economic costs [1,[19][20][21]. With 304 death and 26,395 DALYs lost due to MS during 2016, Iran has a lack of health economics studies estimating the cost of MS [1].…”