Demographic and Clinical Features in Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Background: Primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) represents a different entity in relation to age of onset, gender, clinical symptoms and the prognosis, demographic and clinical characteristics in other words, in comparison to relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).Objective: Evaluation of the demographic and clinical data in patients with PPMS in order to use in the future pathogenetic and clinical trials.Findings: Forty-three patients who were diagnosed as PPMS had been participated in our study. lnitial demographic and clinical features were investigated. EDSS was performed every 3 months and duration that EDSS score reached to 6 and the mean value of EDSS score that was reached after 10 years of the initial findings were calculated. PPMS cases were 5.6% of total MS patients. Sex rate was found 1.06:1 (F/M) Age of onset for women and men was approximately 37.75±5.72 and 33.00±7.67, respectively. Difference was significant according to age of onset (p<0.05). The most observed initial finding was motor disturbance. A significant difference was found between women and men, according to duration that EDSS score reached to 6. After 10 years, EDSS scores were found for women and men 6.3±1.84 and 5.7±2.12, respectively. This was not statistically significant. Family history was detected in one case.Conclusion : The results of our study implicate the differences of PPMS from RRMS and SPMS, and support the differences such as late onset, absence of female dominancy, rapid progression to higher disability. Although its aetiology is unclear, PPMS starts later in women than men and reaches to higher disability rapidly.