Google Answers Logo
View Question
 
Q: Incidence and Prevalence of Multiple Sclerosis ( Answered 5 out of 5 stars,   0 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Incidence and Prevalence of Multiple Sclerosis
Category: Health > Conditions and Diseases
Asked by: doctorway-ga
List Price: $25.00
Posted: 22 Jun 2006 07:58 PDT
Expires: 22 Jul 2006 07:58 PDT
Question ID: 740205
What are the incidence and prevalence of asthma?  
i.e. How many new cases of multiple sclerosis are there per year now?  In recent
past years?  How many people have multiple sclerosis in the U.S. now? In recent
past years?  
Also, is there a breakdown of this by category of MS (e.g. Relapsing-Remitting)?
Thanks!
Answer  
Subject: Re: Incidence and Prevalence of Multiple Sclerosis
Answered By: hummer-ga on 22 Jun 2006 12:11 PDT
Rated:5 out of 5 stars
 
Hi doctorway,

Here you go -

1) What are the incidence and prevalence of multiple sclerosis? 

SUMMARY
  Prevalence: 400,000 people in U.S.
  Incidence:  1 in 700 people
     southern U.S.  57-78/100,000
     northern U.S.: 110-140/100,000

National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Incidence and Prevalence of MS
"People often want to know how many individuals there are with MS in
various parts of the country or the world, and whether those numbers
are increasing. While it might seem easy to simply count them, this
task is hampered by the same diagnostic challenges already described.
The incidence of a disease refers to the number of new cases occurring
in a given period of time (usually a year) in a given population
(100,000 is often the population size that is used). With the
challenges inherent in promptly and correctly identifying people with
MS, arriving at an accurate incidence figure has been virtually
impossible. Most epidemiologists have chosen instead to focus on the
prevalence of MS, which refers to the number of people with MS at a
particular point in time, in a particular place. While prevalence is a
bit easier to determine, since all persons with MS are included in the
figure, regardless of how long they have had the disease, the
diagnostic issues can distort these figures as well. Of the prevalence
studies in MS that have been conducted in various parts of the world,
the data from the northern hemisphere are the most reliable thus far."
"In the United States, there are estimated to be 400,000 people with
MS. Although more people are being diagnosed with MS today than in the
past, the reasons for this are not clear. Likely contributors,
however, include greater awareness of the disease, better access to
medical care, and improved diagnostic capabilities. There is no
definitive evidence that the rate of MS is generally on the increase."
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Sourcebook-Epidemiology.asp

Prevalance Rate: approx 1 in 700 or 0.14% or 388,571 people in USA
Prevalance of Multiple Sclerosis: Multiple sclerosis afflicts 1 in 700
people in this country.
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/m/multiple_sclerosis/prevalence.htm

South of 37 parallel Ms rate    57-78/100,000 population
North of 37 parallel Ms rate 110-140/100,000 population
- California Ms rate is 29.9/100,000 population
- Colorado rate is 84/100,000 population
- New Mexico is 3-4/100,000 population
- Los Alamos is 76/100,000 population
The States with the highest rate of Ms are:
 1. Vermont
 2. Washington
 3. Minnesota   61/100,000
 4. Wyoming
 5. Montana & Idaho
http://www.telusplanet.net/public/dgarneau/health4h1.htm 

2) How many new cases of multiple sclerosis are there per year now? 

SUMMARY
   About 10,000 new cases per year

National Multiple Sclerosis Society
"Approximately 400,000 Americans acknowledge having MS, and every week
about 200 people are diagnosed. "
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Who%20gets%20MS.asp

[200 cases x 52 weeks = 10400 new cases per year]

3) In recent past years?

SUMMARY
 2004: 350,000
 1996: 146,892

November 23, 2004
"According to the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America,
approximately 350,000 individuals have been diagnosed with MS in the
U.S., with an estimated 10,000 new cases diagnosed each year. The most
common form of MS at the time of initial diagnosis is a
relapsing-remitting form, in which acute symptoms or worsening of
neurologic function (referred to as "relapses," "attacks," or
"exacerbations") occur intermittently. The symptoms can diminish or
disappear for months or years between relapses."
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2004/NEW01141.html

1996: 146,892
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/m/multiple_sclerosis/stats.htm

4) Also, is there a breakdown of this by category of MS (e.g. Relapsing-Remitting)?

* Relapsing-Remitting
  Frequency: Most common form of MS at time of initial diagnosis.
Approximately 85%.
* Primary-Progressive
  Frequency: Relatively rare. Approximately 10%.
* Secondary-Progressive
  Frequency: 50% of people with relapsing-remitting MS developed this
form of the disease within 10 years of their initial diagnosis, before
introduction of the ?disease-modifying? drugs. Long-term data are not
yet available to demonstrate if this is significantly delayed by
treatment.
* Progressive-Relapsing
  Frequency: Relatively rare. Approximately 5%.
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/What%20is%20MS.asp

I was glad to work on this for you. If you have any questions, please
post a clarification request and wait for me to respond before
closing/rating my answer.

Thank you,
hummer

Google Search Terms Used: multiple sclerosis incidence prevalence new
cases statistics census tables demographics epidemiological

Request for Answer Clarification by doctorway-ga on 26 Jun 2006 07:57 PDT
Great!  Did you come across any international numbers?

Clarification of Answer by hummer-ga on 26 Jun 2006 13:58 PDT
Hi doctorway,

Yes, I did see global figures, but I was focused on finding recent
statistics for the U.S as per your request. Here are some links which
give a broader world view regarding MS.

Statistics by Country for Multiple Sclerosis
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/m/multiple_sclerosis/stats-country.htm

World Map of Multiple Sclerosis
http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/ms_world.html

World Distribution Map of Multiple Sclerosis:
http://medstat.med.utah.edu/kw/ms/mml/ms_worldmap.html

MS prevalence data for selected countries
http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/prev_tab.html

Multiple Sclerosis Geographic Distribution:
http://www.telusplanet.net/public/dfocugarneau/health4h1.htm

Epidemiology and current treatment of multiple sclerosis in Europe today:
http://www.vard.org/jour/02/39/2/Pozzilli.htm

Who Gets MS?
http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/who_gets_multiple_sclerosis_000017_5.htm

Regards,
hummer
doctorway-ga rated this answer:5 out of 5 stars

Comments  
There are no comments at this time.

Important Disclaimer: Answers and comments provided on Google Answers are general information, and are not intended to substitute for informed professional medical, psychiatric, psychological, tax, legal, investment, accounting, or other professional advice. Google does not endorse, and expressly disclaims liability for any product, manufacturer, distributor, service or service provider mentioned or any opinion expressed in answers or comments. Please read carefully the Google Answers Terms of Service.

If you feel that you have found inappropriate content, please let us know by emailing us at answers-support@google.com with the question ID listed above. Thank you.
Search Google Answers for
Google Answers  


Google Home - Answers FAQ - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy