Multiple Sclerosis: international comparisons
International comparisons are made difficult by the lack of consistent case definitions between surveys, the varying completeness of case ascertainment and the small number of cases included in some studies.
Within Europe multiple sclerosis (MS) shows a marked north-south gradient with the condition being commoner further away from the equator. On the basis of evidence from a large number of population surveys, Kurtzke (1997) suggested a high frequency band including Northern Europe, Canada and the Northern states of the US with crude prevalence rates around 30-60/100 000 population; a medium frequency band including Australia and Northern Scandinavia with prevalences around 5-15; and a low frequency band including eastern Asia, India and Africa with prevalences under 5.
In this context, the prevalence of MS in the United Kingdom as a whole is very high. Prevalence appears to be higher in the northern parts of the UK (Forbes, Wilson and Swingler (1999)) (140-190/100,000 population in Northern Ireland and around 190/100,000 in Scotland) than in southern parts (around 90-130 in England and Wales). Similar north-south gradients have been described within the United States, with higher prevalence in northern states (Kurtzke (1997)). Migrants from low to high risk areas (and vice versa) tend to retain the risk of their country of origin (Kurtzke (1997)).
Recent data on international comparisons are presented in the Atlas of MS produced by the MS International Federation.
Please note: If you require the most up-to-date data available, please check the data sources directly as new data may have been published since these data pages were last updated. Although we endeavour to ensure that the data pages are kept up-to-date, there may be a time lag between new data being published and the relevant ScotPHO web pages being updated.
