Clinical characteristics of patients with multiple sclerosis enrolled in a new registry in Egypt

• We present the first documented Egyptian registry of patients with MS in Egypt.
• 950 MS patients are described from a major tertiary referral centre in Cairo.
• Visual or sensory symptoms were the most common at presentation with RRMS.
• Motor symptoms were the most common presentation in other types of MS.
• MS in Egypt is similar to that in other Arab and western countries.

BackgroundEpidemiological studies of multiple sclerosis (MS) are lacking in Egypt.ObjectiveTo study the characteristics of Egyptian patients with multiple sclerosis in a new registry in a major tertiary referral centre in Cairo, Egypt.Subject and methodsPatients were from the project MS database of the Multiple Sclerosis Unit at Ain Shams University Hospitals (N=950). We conducted a detailed medical history and examination including the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS).ResultsFemales represented 72% of subjects (female: male ratio 2.57:1). The mean age of disease onset was 26.1±7.6 years. Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) was the most common presentation (74.6%). Visual or sensory symptoms were the most common at presentation with RRMS, while motor symptoms were the most common presentation in other types of MS. Time to diagnosis was delayed up to 2 years in 27.8% of patients. The mean EDSS score was 3.6±2.1; 55% had EDSS≤3. About half (49%) received a disease-modifying drug. Progressive MS and motor presentation were associated with higher disability.ConclusionsThis is the first documented MS registry from Egypt. The clinical characteristics of MS in Egypt was similar to other Arab countries and western countries. MS is more common among females in Egypt, with RRMS being the most common presentation. Visual symptoms and motor symptoms were the most common presentations in RRMS and progressive MS, respectively. Our findings also highlight the value of establishing registries in Egypt in order to be able to study, prospectively, the clinical course of the disease, the response to various DMD's and the epidemiology of MS in Egypt.