Epidemiology of Multiple Sclerosis in Egypt

[摘要] Background: The exact prevalence of multiple sclerosis in Egypt can not be given since no organized survey for this purpose was carried out and door to door study was difficult. Objective: To estimate prevalence and percentage of multiple sclerosis to other neurological disorders in different referral centers in Egypt and studying different epidemiological factors of the disease as age, sex, clinical aspect, EDSS, duration of illness, MS course and MRI findings in Egyptian patients. Methods: A retrospective meta-analysis study in different referral centers including 5 centers in Cairo metropolitan, and other 5 centers: one centre in each city of Alexandria in north Mediterranean coast, Mansoura, Tanta and Zagazig in Delta and Assiut in Upper Egypt. Patients were diagnosed as definite MS patients according to McDonald’s criteria. Results: Total number of neurological patients in this study was 45750; of which 648 patients had definite MS. Females were younger than males. Patients with secondary progressive MS had significantly greater disability then other types (RRMS and PPMS) and they were older in age. The more the duration of illness the more significantly higher grade of disability secondary to the disease. The most frequent clinical presentation was motor affection. Patients with visual symptoms were younger in terms of age of onset of MS. The most frequent site of MS plaques was periventricular white matter and the least was spinal cord. Conclusion: The prevalence of multiple sclerosis in Egypt was found in the present study to be 1.41% or 14.1 per 1000 other neurological diseases. [Egypt J Neurol Psychiat Neurosurg.  2010; 47(4): 625-632]

[学科分类] 精神健康和精神病学