Clinical characteristics and outcome of multiple sclerosis in Korea: does multiple sclerosis in Korea really differ from that in the Caucasian populations?

• Published in: Multiple sclerosis Vol. 19; no. 11; pp. 1493 - 1498
• Main Authors: Kim, Su-Hyun, Huh, So-Young, Kim, Woojun, Park, Min Su, Ahn, Suk-Won, Cho, Joong-Yang, Kim, Byung Jo, Kim, Ho Jin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.10.2013; Sage Publications; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Adult; Age of Onset; Asian Continental Ancestry Group; Biological and medical sciences; Cohort Studies; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; European Continental Ancestry Group; Female; Humans; Immunologic Factors - therapeutic use; Korea - epidemiology; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical sciences; Multiple Sclerosis - drug therapy; Multiple Sclerosis - epidemiology; Multiple Sclerosis - pathology; Multiple sclerosis and variants. Guillain barré syndrome and other inflammatory polyneuropathies. Leukoencephalitis; Neurology; Prevalence; Retrospective Studies; Treatment Outcome; Asia; Korea; epidemiology; Multiple sclerosis; Asia; optic-spinal multiple sclerosis; neuromyelitis optica; beta-interferon; clinical characteristics; Korea; Nervous system diseases; Optic nerve; Prognosis; Neurooptic myelitis; Epidemiology; Inflammatory disease; Eye disease; Cranial nerve disease; Visual pathway; Central nervous system disease; Beta interferon; Degenerative disease; Spinal cord disease
• ISSN: 1352-4585; 1477-0970
• DOI: 10.1177/1352458513477712

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) in Asia is thought to have different clinical characteristics from MS in Western countries; however, previous studies in Asia were performed without properly differentiating neuromyelitis optica (NMO) from MS. Objectives: To evaluate the clinical characteristics of MS in Korea after careful exclusion of potential explanations other than MS, particularly NMO spectrum disorder (NMOSD). Methods: This study is a retrospective review of consecutive MS patients attending five referral hospitals in Korea. All patients’ MS diagnoses were re-evaluated. Results: Of the 105 patients, 70 were female and 35 were male. The mean age of onset was 30.4 years and the mean disease duration was 5.4 years. On initial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 58% and 64% fulfilled the criteria for dissemination in space for the 2005 and 2010 McDonald criteria, respectively. Spinal cord lesions were observed in 78% of patients, primarily present as multiple small lesions with a mean length of 0.9 vertebral segments. The median time from disease onset to an Expanded Disability Status Scale 6 was 20 years. Conclusions: After careful exclusion of NMOSD, we found that the clinical pattern of MS in Korea does not fundamentally differ from that seen in Western countries.