Temporal trends in the burden of multiple sclerosis in the UK over the past three decades
Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) imposes a significant global burden because of the associated morbidity and progressively diminishing quality of life of patients. Therefore, evaluating the temporal trends in the incidence and the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of MS in the UK is vital...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Clinical Medicine |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470211825001848 |
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| Summary: | Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) imposes a significant global burden because of the associated morbidity and progressively diminishing quality of life of patients. Therefore, evaluating the temporal trends in the incidence and the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of MS in the UK is vital because it enables risk stratification and introduction of health policy measures to tackle the associated burden. Methods: Temporal trends in the age-standardised incidence rate (ASIR) and age-standardised DALY rate (ASDR) in the UK, and across the four nations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) over the period 1990–2019, were evaluated by retrieving data form the Global Burden of Disease database. The annual percent change (APC) and average annual percent change (AAPC) were calculated using Joinpoint Analysis software. Results: Over the span of three decades, an estimated total of 75,126 MS cases with a female predominance of 63.9% were reported across the UK. A statistically significant increase in the ASIR was noted across the UK, with an AAPC of 1.03 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–1.04, p<0.001). A statistically significant increase in the ASIR was also noted across all four nations, with England encountering the highest increase (AAPC 1.10, 95% CI 1.09–1.11, p<0.001), followed by Wales (AAPC 0.84, 95% CI 0.83–0.85, p<0.001), Scotland (AAPC 0.82, 95% CI 0.80–0.82, p<0.001) and Northern Ireland (AAPC 0.61, 95% CI 0.61–0.62, p<0.001). Similarly, a statistically significant increase in the ASIR was noted across all regions in England with eastern England encountering the highest increase (AAPC 1.23, 95% CI 1.22–1.24, p<0.001), followed by south-east England (AAPC 1.23, 95% CI 1.22–1.24, p<0.001) and north-east England (AAPC 1.19, 95% CI 1.18–1.20, p<0.001).A statistically significant increase in the ASDR was noted across the UK, with an AAPC of 0.90 (95% CI 0.85–0.95, p<0.001). A statistically significant increase was noted across all four nations, with Wales experiencing the highest increase (AAPC 1.29, 95% CI 1.24–1.32, p<0.001), followed by Scotland (AAPC 1.18, 95% CI 1.13–1.22, p<0.001), Northern Ireland (AAPC 0.90, 95% CI 0.79–0.99, p<0.001) and England (AAPC 0.85, 95% CI 0.80–0.90, p<0.001). Across England, all regions encountered a statistically significant increase in the ASDR with north-east England encountering the highest increase (AAPC 1.12, 95% CI 1.05–1.19, p<0.001), followed by East Midlands (AAPC 1.09, 95% CI 1.03–1.15, p<0.001) and Yorkshire and the Humber (AAPC 1.03, 95% CI 0.98–1.09, p<0.001). Conclusion: Overall, the UK witnessed a significant increase in the incidence and DALYs of MS over the past 30 years. These worrisome findings warrant prompt recognition and introduction of measures to effectively tackle the associated burden. |
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| ISSN: | 1470-2118 |