The Canadian Prospective Cohort Study to understand progression in multiple sclerosis: baseline characteristics

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Clinical Research
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Multiple sclerosis (MS) progression varies among individuals, with effective treatments to halt it remaining a significant unmet clinical need.
• Understanding factors influencing MS onset and progression is crucial for developing targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate factors associated with the onset and rate of clinical disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS).
• To describe the interplay between various factors influencing MS progression.
• To characterize early-stage physical and mental neurological disability in MS.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, observational cohort study involving 944 participants across 5 Canadian MS centers.
• Inclusion of individuals with radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS), relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), primary progressive MS (PPMS), and healthy controls (HCs).
• Annual data collection including questionnaires, clinical evaluations, and MRI scans; subset also provided biological samples and health administrative data linkages.

Main Results:

• Differences in Expanded Disability Status Scale and MS performance tests (walking, dexterity, processing speed, visual acuity) were observed between RIS and MS subtypes.
• Participants with RIS/MS reported more depression, anxiety, and impaired quality of life compared to HCs.
• Early stages of MS are characterized by prevalent physical and mental neurological disability.

Conclusions:

• Transdisciplinary research approaches, like CanProCo, are essential for a comprehensive understanding of MS clinical progression.
• Forthcoming data from CanProCo (MRI, biological, pharmaco-economic) will further elucidate MS progression.
• CanProCo's data sharing aims to foster global collaborations for developing effective MS interventions.