This Article Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 1352458508090226v1 14/7/887    most recent References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Houzen, H Articles by Sasaki, H Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Houzen, H Articles by Sasaki, H Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Increasing prevalence and incidence of multiple sclerosis in northern Japan

Department of Neurology, Obihiro Kosei General Hospital, Obihiro, Japan

M Niino

Department of Neurology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan niino{at}med.hokudai.ac.jp

D Hata

Department of Neurology, Obihiro Kosei General Hospital, Obihiro, Japan

F Nakano

Department of Neurology, Obihiro Kosei General Hospital, Obihiro, Japan

S Kikuchi

Department of Neurology, Sapporo Minami National Hospital, Sapporo, Japan

T Fukazawa

Sapporo Neurology Clinic, Sapporo, Japan

H Sasaki

Department of Neurology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan

Background

We previously reported that prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Japan was 8.6/100,000 individuals in 2001. This was much higher than prevalence previously reported from Asian countries. A second epidemiologic survey was conducted to assess changes in MS prevalence and incidence over the last 30 years in Tokachi province of Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan.

Methods

The authors studied the frequency of MS in the community of Tokachi Province, where the population has stabilized between 350,000 and 360,000 over the last 30 years. The survey was conducted at the same institutions using the same methods as the first survey in 2001.

Results

On March 31, 2006, 47 subjects satisfied Poser's criteria for MS. The prevalence rate increased from 8.6 to 13.1/100,000 individuals between 2001 and 2006. The prevalence of conventional MS (C-MS) increased in five years although the prevalence of optic-spinal MS (OS-MS) did not increase. The mean annual incidence increased from 0.15 (1975–1989) to 0.68 (1990–2004).

Conclusions

The results show the highest MS prevalence in Asia; the increase in MS prevalence in Tokachi Province may be due to increased incidence after 1990.

Key Words: epidemiology • incidence • MRI • multiple sclerosis • prevalence • spinal cord

This version was published on August 1, 2008

Multiple Sclerosis, Vol. 14, No. 7, 887-892 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1352458508090226


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Q Cheng, X-J Cheng, and G-X Jiang Multiple sclerosis in China--history and future Multiple Sclerosis, June 1, 2009; 15(6): 655 - 660. [Abstract] [PDF]