P015 - Epidemiology of multiple sclerosis in the Middle East: A systematic review and meta analysis

Abstract

Background The epidemiology of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Middle East has been a major topic of concern during the recent years. A sharp increase in the prevalence and incidence of MS in this region is observed during the recent years. In this study, for the first time, we aimed to provide a comprehensive review regarding the incidence and prevalence of MS across the Middle East. Objective and methods A comprehensive literature search was performed using Pubmed, Embase, and, Web of Science. We also did manual search of reference lists from primary articles and relevant reviews. Results A total of 29 articles met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed in this study. Incidence data were found in 10 studies and ranged from.059 per 100,000 per year in Sistan and Balouchestan, Iran to 26.3 in Isfahan, Iran followed by 6.8 in Kuwait and Dubai. Prevalence was reported in all studies and ranged from 5.1 per 100,000 in Afro-Asian origin patients in Israel to 240 in Liopetri village of Cyprus. Conclusions Epidemiologic studies in Middle East area represented a significant increase in the incidence and prevalence of MS over time. There were no prevalence study identified in several Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Bahrain, Oman and Yemen. Accordingly our knowledge about epidemiology of MS in the Middle East is extremely limited. Nationwide studies should be conducted to report the epidemiology of the disease in different countries of the region. Such an effort along with further research towards improvement of data on previously studied areas can enable a field to be opened up to identify the patterns of MS in varied genetic backgrounds, and environments of Middle East. The epidemiology of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Middle East has been a major topic of concern during the recent years. A sharp increase in the prevalence and incidence of MS in this region is observed during the recent years. In this study, for the first time, we aimed to provide a comprehensive review regarding the incidence and prevalence of MS across the Middle East. A comprehensive literature search was performed using Pubmed, Embase, and, Web of Science. We also did manual search of reference lists from primary articles and relevant reviews. A total of 29 articles met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed in this study. Incidence data were found in 10 studies and ranged from.059 per 100,000 per year in Sistan and Balouchestan, Iran to 26.3 in Isfahan, Iran followed by 6.8 in Kuwait and Dubai. Prevalence was reported in all studies and ranged from 5.1 per 100,000 in Afro-Asian origin patients in Israel to 240 in Liopetri village of Cyprus. Epidemiologic studies in Middle East area represented a significant increase in the incidence and prevalence of MS over time. There were no prevalence study identified in several Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Bahrain, Oman and Yemen. Accordingly our knowledge about epidemiology of MS in the Middle East is extremely limited. Nationwide studies should be conducted to report the epidemiology of the disease in different countries of the region. Such an effort along with further research towards improvement of data on previously studied areas can enable a field to be opened up to identify the patterns of MS in varied genetic backgrounds, and environments of Middle East.