Abstract

BackgroundMost of the knowledge about people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) in France comes from cohorts, which may suffer from recruitment bias or from the unique registry located in Lorraine, East France.ObjectiveTo describe use of care in the French population of PwMS, over 2010–2015.MethodsAll PwMS in the French national health data system (97% of the general population covered) were included. Demographics, and use of care were described (visits with general practitioners (GPs), neurologists, nurses, physiotherapists and hospitalisations). A focus on the neurological follow-up was also conducted.ResultsA total of 112,415 PwMS were identified (sex ratio F:M = 2.4, median age 46), of whom 5005 died during follow-up. The median numbers of visits with GPs and neurologists were 6.6 and 1.3 respectively per patient-year. Moreover, 53,457 (47.6%) received multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments; about 13% of patients had no neurological follow-up, and 81.8% had at least one hospitalisation.ConclusionsFor the first time in France, this exhaustive dataset offered the opportunity to provide objective figures regarding care practices for MS at the national level, without any selection bias. It also allowed description of patients with MS according to their neurological follow-up, especially those who were absent from cohorts led by neurologists.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call