The latest progress of epidemiological investigation of patients with multiple sclerosis in Guangzhou

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a lifelong, highly disabling, relapsing autoimmune disease that is rare in China, and accurately estimating the prevalence of MS is critical

Overview of the study

The research team conducted a prospective, population-based study

Figure 1 Distribution map of 17 top three hospitals in Guangzhou city where CASE searches were conducted for MS patients

Research results

As of December 31, 2021, based on McDonald's (2017) diagnostic criteria and Guangzhou Medical Insurance's population inclusion criteria, the team identified a total of 143 MS patients (including 43 males and 100 females).

The study population ranged from 7 to 73 years, with a median age of 30 years and a female-to-male ratio of 2.

Figure 2 Age-corrected prevalence of patients with multiple sclerosis in Guangzhou

Conclusions of the study

The study was the first to use the latest McDonald (2017) diagnostic criteria to estimate