Prevalence and Incidence of Multiple Sclerosis in Western Greece: A 23-Year Survey

Abstract

Background: The frequency of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Greece remains speculative, as data from many parts are still lacking. Objective: To estimate trends in MS prevalence and annual incidence in western Greece from January 1, 1984 to December 31, 2006. Methods: Patients were identified from the patient records of the Department of Neurology at Patras University Hospital in Rion-Patras. Only patients with a definite MS diagnosis according to Poser’s criteria and retrospective application of the McDonald’s criteria were included. We calculated age- and sex-specific prevalence rates for patients living in the study area on December 31, 2006. Annual incidence rates were calculated for the period 1984–2006. Results: The crude prevalence rate of definite MS cases increased significantly in 23 years from 10.1/100,000 recorded in northeastern Greece in 1984 to 119.61/100,000 on December 31, 2006 in western Greece for the 780 cases still alive. The mean annual incidence rate increased from 2.71/100,000 recorded during the period 1984–1989 to 10.73/100,000 in the 5-year period of 2002–2006. Conclusion: The prevalence rates were higher than expected, but closer than in previous surveys conducted in Greece to those reported recently in Sicily and Istanbul. These findings place the area in the high-risk zone.

The Onset of Multiple Sclerosis in Greece: A Single-Center Study of 1,034 Consecutive Patients

“…Taking into consideration the two most recent prevalence estimations for MS in Greece and current demographic projections from the National Statistical Service [12,13,27], our patient cohort is estimated to represent between 8 and 24% of the total MS population in Greece.…”

“…It caters for patients with MS from the wider Athens area, as well as from the rest of Greece, mainly central and southern regions of the country. Although it functions as a secondary and tertiary referral center, given the current general practitioner status in Greece, it also provides primary care to patients with MS [13]. …”

“…Recent epidemiological studies, placing Greece in the high-risk zone for MS [12,13], have focused on incidence and prevalence data, and have provided only limited information on the clinical features of the disease at onset. A few relatively small studies published in Greek journals are inaccessible to the non-Greek reader [14,15,16].…”

Living with Multiple Sclerosis in Europe: Pharmacological Treatments, Cost of Illness, and Health-Related Quality of Life Across Countries

“…There are no recent prevalence studies; the last one dates back to 2008 (47). Some interesting insights came from studies aimed at defining a sort of "stigma" for MS patients, especially neurological disorders, that determines the exclusion from full social acceptance.…”

Μελέτη Πολυμορφισμών Των Γονιδίων Των Κυτταροκινών Σε Ασθενείς Με Σκλήρυνση Κατά Πλάκας

“…Η μέση ετήσια επίπτωση μετρημένη σε διαστήματα 5ετίας, αυξήθηκε σημαντικά, από 0,66/100.000 πληθυσμού κατά την 5ετία 1974-1978, σε 2,36/100.000 πληθυσμού κατά την 5ετία 1994-1999. Σύμφωνα με την πιο πρόσφατη μελέτη (Papathanasopoulos P, 2008) σε Ελληνικό πληθυσμό, που διενεργήθηκε στην περιοχή της Δυτικής Ελλάδας (Αιτωλοακαρνανία, Ηλεία και Αχαΐα) και διήρκησε 23 έτη, η τιμή του επιπολασμού στα τέλη του 2006 εκτιμάται σε 119,61/100.000 πληθυσμού (εικόνα 6), πολύ πιο υψηλή απ' ότι στην αρχή της 200 30 /100.000 πληθυσμού μελέτης -Ιανουάριος 1984 (10,1/100.000 πληθυσμού). Τα αποτελέσματα της έρευνας αυτής ξεκάθαρα τοποθετούν τη συγκεκριμένη γεωγραφική περιοχή της χώρας μας, στη ζώνη υψηλού κινδύνου και αν και οι τιμές του επιπολασμού είναι αρκετά υψηλότερες απ' τις αναμενόμενες (με βάση προηγούμενες μελέτες στην Ελλάδα), βρίσκονται σε συμφωνία με τις αντίστοιχες τιμές στη Νότια Ιταλία (Σικελία) (Pugliatti M, 2002) και την Κωνσταντινούπολη.…”