Study Suggests Increasing Global Burden of Multiple Sclerosis

Incident cases, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of multiple sclerosis (MS) increased globally between 1990 and 2019, whereas age-standardized rates decreased marginally, according to study findings published in Frontiers in Public Health.

“Previous studies have shown a relatively stable or slightly increasing incidence rate of MS in whites over the past 4 or 5 decades,” wrote a research team from China. “Our data from Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 showed that the number of incidences is increasing globally, however, the rate is flat or mildly decreasing.”

The study assessed the global MS disease burden, trends, and age-period-cohort effects based on the new estimates from GBD 2019.

Worldwide, there were 59,345 incident cases of MS and 22,439 deaths from the disease in 2019, according to the study. Over the previous 3 decades, incident cases, deaths, and DALYs trended upward; age-standardized rates showed a slight decline. 

The highest age-standardized rates of incidence, deaths, and DALYs were in high socio-demographic index regions, including North America, the study showed. The lowest rate of deaths and DALYs were in medium socio-demographic index regions.

Researchers also reported significant age effects for incidence, deaths, and DALYs globally, and period effects and cohort effects for deaths and DALYs. Specifically, relative risks of incidence peaked between ages 30 and 39, and DALYs peaked between ages 50 and 59. Relative risks of deaths and DALYs increased with the period, and the later birth cohort had lower relative risks of deaths and DALYs than the earlier birth cohort.

“Health promotion, disease prevention, and rehabilitation should all receive significant attention,” the authors recommended, “especially in high-risk areas.” 

Reference:
Qian Z, Li Y, Guan Z, et al. Global, regional, and national burden of multiple sclerosis from 1990 to 2019: findings of global burden of disease study 2019. Front Public Health. Published online February 17, 2023. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1073278