Abstract
BACKGROUND:
In
2015, the first nationwide, multicenter Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
registry was initiated in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) mainly with
an objective to describe current epidemiology, disease patterns, and
clinical characteristics of MS in Saudi Arabia. This article aimed to
report initial findings of the registry and regional prevalence of MS.
METHOD:
In
2015, a national MS registry was launched in KSA to register all MS
patient with confirmed diagnosis according to the 2010 McDonald
Criteria. The registry aimed to identify and recruit all healthcare
facilities treating MS patients in the Kingdom, and collect data such as
demographics, clinical characteristics (disease onset, diagnosis,
presentation of symptoms at onset, disease course, relapse rate, and
disability measures), family history, and treatments. All the included
sites have obtained IRB/EC approvals for participating in the registry.
Currently, the registry includes 20 hospitals from different regions
across the Kingdom. The Projected prevalence was calculated based on the
assumption that the number of diagnosed MS cases in participating
hospitals (in each region) is similar to the number of cases in
remaining nonparticipant hospitals in the same region.
RESULTS:
As
of September 2018, the registry has included 20 hospitals from the
different regions across the Kingdom and has collected comprehensive
data on 2516 patients from those hospitals, with median age 32 (Range:
11-63) and 66.5% being females. The reported prevalence of MS for those
hospitals was estimated to be 7.70/100,000 population and 11.80/100,000
Saudi nationals. Based on the assumption made earlier, we projected the
prevalence for each region and for the country as a whole. The overall
prevalence of MS at the country level was reported to be 40.40/100,000
total population and 61.95/100,000 Saudi nationals. Around 3 out of
every 4 patients (77.5%) were 40 years of age or younger. Female to male
ratio was 2:1. The prevalence was higher among females, young and
educated individuals across all five regions of Saudi Arabia.
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CONCLUSION:
The
prevalence of MS has significantly increased in Saudi Arabia but is
still much lower than that in the western and other neighboring
countries like Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE. However, compared to the past
rates, Saudi Arabia’s projected prevalence of MS through this national
study is 40.40/100,000 population, putting the Kingdom above the low
risk zone as per Kurtzke classification. The projected prevalence was
estimated to be much higher among Saudi nationals (61.95/100,000
Saudi-nationals). The prevalence was higher among female, younger and
educated individuals. Further studies are needed to assess the risk
factors associated with increased prevalence in Saudi Arabia.
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