The prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in minority populations is not well documented or understood. A retrospective cohort analysis evaluated the prevalence of MS with data gathered from a Florida database and provided insight into the prevalence and care of MS.
Nearly one million people live with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the United States. However, data on the prevalence of MS in certain regions and minority populations is not widely available. Fortunately, more studies are being conducted, many of which are showing an increased prevalence of MS in Black women as well as increased disease severity in Blacks and Hispanics, overall.
One retrospective analysis, published in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, evaluated data from a particular database called the OneFlorida Data Trust. This database pulls information on vital statistics, Medicaid and Medicare claims, and other data from over 15 million Floridian electronic health records (EHR). With over two-thirds of Floridian patient data across 67 Florida counties, researchers analyzed the prevalence of MS stratified by race, ethnicity, sex, age, and location over a seven-year observation period.
Among approximately 10.4 million individuals analyzed, 9,681 were identified as having MS. The prevalence of MS was highest among non-Hispanic White women and lowest among Hispanic men. Interestingly, the prevalence was also high among Black and Hispanic women. In regard to age, the highest prevalence was seen between the ages 45 and 54 years. Of all people with MS 52.9% were treated with at least one disease-modifying therapy (DMT).
Although this study only analyzes a sample population, the results are intriguing. With a high prevalence of MS in minority populations and only about half of patients with MS receiving DMT, a cornerstone of MS treatment, more attention to care in populations with a high burden of disease may be warranted.
Source:
Carlson, A. M., Sollero, C. V., Nair, K. V., Sillau, S., Wu, Q., Gyang, T., Li, Z., & Armstrong, M. J. (2022). Prevalence of multiple sclerosis and treatment utilization in a large, highly diverse population. Mult Scler Relat Disord, 61, 103784. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2022.103784
