Individuals Who Develop Multiple Sclerosis Have More Doctor Visits Decades Before Their Diagnosis
A new study has found that individuals who are later diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) tend to visit their doctor more, are admitted to hospitals more, and visit emergency rooms more frequently decades before they are eventually diagnosed with MS in comparison to those who don’t develop the condition. This often happens more than 20 years before an MS diagnosis is made.
These findings were made by researchers in Canada who used healthcare data from Ontario, the country’s province with the largest population. The study was funded by MS Canada and the National MS Society.
The team conducted a retrospective review of the ways in which individuals diagnosed with MS used medical care services, such as hospital stays, doctor appointments, and visits to emergency rooms before the people were diagnosed with MS. The researchers compared this data to the data of other people who never developed MS.
The researchers obtained data on more than 35,000 individuals diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and compared this data to sex and age-match data on a control group of more than 136,000 people who didn’t develop MS. Medical data spanning at least 15 years was available on these groups of MS patients and the controls.
The data revealed that for nearly 29 years before an MS diagnosis, people with MS visited their doctor more, had more ER visits and had more hospital stays connected to central nervous system complaints. This was the most common reason for seeking medical care among those who were later diagnosed with MS, and this need for medical care peaked approximately a year prior to diagnosis.
Visits due to infections, a known risk factor for multiple sclerosis, also had a notable frequency within the 20 years prior to diagnosis, and these peaked shortly before the diagnosis was made.
The researchers also found that people who were later diagnosed with MS also exhibited a gradually increasing frequency of visits connected to other medical specialties, such as breathing issues, complaints related to movement, and digestive system issues. The peak of these issues happened close to the time a diagnosis for MS was made.
The medical visits had differences based on gender. Women had more urology-linked complaints while men had more complaints connected to mental health, the nervous system and unclear symptoms.
Common complaints across both genders included migraines, anxiety, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. Complaints related to the digestive system increased in frequency as the MS diagnosis came close, with such complaints first surfacing about 25 years prior.
This study provides valuable insights that can help in identifying individuals who are at risk of developing MS long before the condition has progressed to the point of a diagnosis being made. At-risk individuals can be monitored more closely and appropriate interventions started early.
Diagnosis could also happen sooner if the early warning signs, such as a high frequency of needing medical attention for a set of health problems earlier in life. If a diagnosis is made early, then patients have a chance to reap more benefits from the medications that companies like Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN) are developing to address the clinical needs of MS patients.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/CLNN
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the BioMedWire website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: http://BMW.fm/Disclaimer
A new study has found that individuals who are later diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) tend to visit their doctor more, are admitted to hospitals more, and visit emergency rooms more frequently decades before they are eventually diagnosed with MS in comparison to those who don’t develop the condition. This often happens more than 20 years before an MS diagnosis is made.
These findings were made by researchers in Canada who used healthcare data from Ontario, the country’s province with the largest population. The study was funded by MS Canada and the National MS Society.
The team conducted a retrospective review of the ways in which individuals diagnosed with MS used medical care services, such as hospital stays, doctor appointments, and visits to emergency rooms before the people were diagnosed with MS. The researchers compared this data to the data of other people who never developed MS.
The researchers obtained data on more than 35,000 individuals diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and compared this data to sex and age-match data on a control group of more than 136,000 people who didn’t develop MS. Medical data spanning at least 15 years was available on these groups of MS patients and the controls.
The data revealed that for nearly 29 years before an MS diagnosis, people with MS visited their doctor more, had more ER visits and had more hospital stays connected to central nervous system complaints. This was the most common reason for seeking medical care among those who were later diagnosed with MS, and this need for medical care peaked approximately a year prior to diagnosis.
Visits due to infections, a known risk factor for multiple sclerosis, also had a notable frequency within the 20 years prior to diagnosis, and these peaked shortly before the diagnosis was made.
The researchers also found that people who were later diagnosed with MS also exhibited a gradually increasing frequency of visits connected to other medical specialties, such as breathing issues, complaints related to movement, and digestive system issues. The peak of these issues happened close to the time a diagnosis for MS was made.
The medical visits had differences based on gender. Women had more urology-linked complaints while men had more complaints connected to mental health, the nervous system and unclear symptoms.
Common complaints across both genders included migraines, anxiety, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. Complaints related to the digestive system increased in frequency as the MS diagnosis came close, with such complaints first surfacing about 25 years prior.
This study provides valuable insights that can help in identifying individuals who are at risk of developing MS long before the condition has progressed to the point of a diagnosis being made. At-risk individuals can be monitored more closely and appropriate interventions started early.
Diagnosis could also happen sooner if the early warning signs, such as a high frequency of needing medical attention for a set of health problems earlier in life. If a diagnosis is made early, then patients have a chance to reap more benefits from the medications that companies like Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN) are developing to address the clinical needs of MS patients.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/CLNN
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the BioMedWire website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: http://BMW.fm/Disclaimer
