The Prevalence of Comorbidities Associated with Multiple Sclerosis in Saudi Arabia

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, immune mediated demyelinating illness of the central nervous system. This study looks at various comorbidities associated with MS, focusing on their impact on disease progression. Understanding comorbidities in MS is important as it can impact treatment selection and overall disease management and prognosis.

Our aim is to show the prevalence of comorbidities along with MS. This research focuses on the comorbidities associated with MS and their impact on disease progression in the Arab Gulf region, with a special emphasis on Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

A retrospective record review was conducted from July 2022 to July 2023. The study included 286 patients, selected based on a definitive MS diagnosis in accordance with McDonald's 2017 criteria. Data collected included demographic information, MS type, duration of diagnosis, type of disease modifying therapy (DMT) used, Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score, and type of comorbidities.

The majority of the patients were female (70%) with an average age of 36 years. Most patients had relapsing remitting MS, and the majority were on DMTs, with fingolimod being the most common. Nearly half of the patients had comorbidities, with mood disorders, diabetes mellitus (DM), migraine, and hypertension (HTN) being prevalent. A significant positive association was found between the EDSS scores and both DM and HTN, but there was no significant link with migraine.

The findings indicate that individuals with MS have an increased risk of developing comorbidities such as migraine, DM, and HTN. Emphasizing a healthy lifestyle could potentially reduce the incidence of DM and HTN and their related vascular complications. The research also notes the prevalence of mood disorders among the MS population, although it remains inconclusive whether these are separate comorbid conditions or inherent symptoms of MS.