Epidemiological Features of 263 Patients with Multiple Sclerosis Residing in ‎Babol, Iran

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, myelin-degenerative disorder, which causes irreversible pathological changes to the central nervous system. The number of patients diagnosed with this condition has increased during the past decade. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and demographic findings of MS patients in Babol, Iran. This cross-sectional study was carried out on 263 patients diagnosed with MS in Babol, Iran, during a ten-year period. MS was confirmed in all the included patients based on a neurologist’s diagnosis and the McDonald’s criteria. Age, gender, place of residence, marital and employment status, age at disease onset, and magnetic resonance imaging findings were obtained using a checklist. Out of 263 patients, 188 (71.5%) and 75 (28.5%) cases were female and male, respectively. The mean age of the patients was 34.28±9.47 years, and the female to male ratio was 5:2. It was found that 245 (93.2%) patients had relapsing-remitting MS. At the onset of the disease 161(61.2%) and 102(38.8%) of the patients were monosymptomatic and polysymptomatic, respectively. Prevalence of MS was relatively higher in in the female population and the ages of 30 years or less.