Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026

The Multiple Sclerosis Performance Test MSPT: An iPad-Based Disability Assessment Tool
Published on: June 30, 2014
Change in multiple sclerosis prevalence over time in Australia 2010-2017 utilising disease-modifying therapy
Julie A Campbell1, Steve Simpson2, Hasnat Ahmad1
1Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia.
Objective:
Determine the prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Australia in 2017 using MS-specific disease-modifying therapy (DMT) prescription data and estimate the change in prevalence from 2010.
Methods:
DMT prescriptions were extracted from Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) data for January-December 2017. Percentages of people with MS using DMTs (DMT penetrance) were calculated using data from the Australian MS Longitudinal Study. Prevalence was estimated by dividing the total number of monthly prescriptions by 12 (except alemtuzumab), adjusted for DMT penetrance and Australian population estimates. Prevalences in Australian states/territories were age-standardised to the Australian population. Comparisons with 2010 prevalence data were performed using Poisson regression.
Results:
Overall DMT penetrance was 64%, and the number of people with MS in Australia in 2017 was 25,607 (95% confidence interval (CI): 24,874-26,478), a significant increase of 4324 people since 2010 (p < 0.001). The prevalence increased significantly from 95.6/100,000 (2010) to 103.7/100,000 (2017), with estimates highest in Tasmania in 2017 (138.7/100,000; 95% CI: 137.2-140.1) and lowest in Queensland (74.6/100,000; 95% CI: 73.5-75.6). From 2010 to 2017 using the median latitudes for each state/territory, the overall latitudinal variation in MS prevalence was an increase of 3.0% per degree-latitude.
Conclusion:
Consistent with global trends, Australia's MS prevalence has increased; this probably reflecting decreased mortality, increased longevity and increased incidence.
Related Concept Videos
Prevalence and Incidence
Prevalence indicates the proportion of individuals in a population who have a specific disease or health...
Prescription, Nonprescription and Orphan Drugs
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...
Gene Therapy
Global Climate Change
Work Done During Volume Change
Consider a gas confined to a cylinder fitted with a movable piston at one end. If the gas expands from volume V1 to volume V2, it exerts a force on the piston, such that the piston moves by a distance dr.
The work done by the gas on the piston can be expressed as
Net Change Theorem

