Late onset multiple sclerosis: concerns in aging patients

• Published in: Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria Vol. 75; no. 7; pp. 451 - 456
• Main Authors: Lotti, Claudia Beatriz de Campos, Oliveira, Acary Souza Bulle, Bichuetti, Denis Bernardi, Castro, Isac de, Oliveira, Enedina Maria Lobato
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Academia Brasileira de Neurologia - ABNEURO 01.07.2017; Academia Brasileira de Neurologia (ABNEURO)
• Subjects: Age of Onset; aging; Brazil - epidemiology; Disability Evaluation; Disease Progression; epidemiology; Female; Humans; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Male; Middle Aged; multiple sclerosis; Multiple Sclerosis - epidemiology; NEUROSCIENCES; PSYCHIATRY; epidemiology; envelhecimento; multiple sclerosis; progressão da doença; aging; disease progression; esclerose múltipla; epidemiologia
• ISSN: 0004-282X; 1678-4227; 1678-4227
• DOI: 10.1590/0004-282X20170070

Late onset multiple sclerosis (LOMS) is when the first symptom starts after 50 years of age, representing 4.5% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. This study describes the clinical characteristics of patients with LOMS followed at a specialized MS center in São Paulo. Data was obtained from medical records of 742 patients with MS. The LOMS frequency was 4.18%, median age at onset was 54 years and the predominant disease course was primary progressive (64.3%). The patients reached the disability landmarks of EDSS grades 3.0, 6.0 and 7.0 in the following proportion and time: EDSS 3.0: 77.42% of patients in 3.7 years; EDSS 6.0: 58.06% in 5.1 years and EDSS 7.0: 32.26% in 5.7 years. The comparative analysis with a matched control group of patients with early onset MS showed that late onset, associated with a progressive course, were predictors of reaching EDSS 3.0 and 6.0 in a shorter time.