Increasing Rate of MS in India to Outgrow Global Average, Says Report

Wednesday 6 February 2013, A

Although less common across Asia than the West, the number of prevalent cases of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in India is expected to increase at a comparatively high rate over the next decade, due to population growth as well as increased availability of diagnostic technology in the country, says research and consulting a firm

The company’s new epidemiology report* states that the number of prevalent cases of MS in India is projected to climb from 4,880 in 2012 to 5,874 in 2022 at an Annual Growth Rate (AGR) of 2.04% — almost double that of the second fastest-growing country covered in the report, Spain, which has an MS prevalent case AGR of 1.09%.

Of the 10 major markets covered in the report (the US, Canada, Japan, India, China, and the top five European economies), the US displays the highest number of prevalent cases by some margin, with 281,573 cases in 2012 increasing to 302,227 cases in 2022.

In 2012, the US total was more than twice that of Canada; however, Canada will have the second highest number of prevalent MS cases by 2022, overtaking Germany. Figures for 2012 showed a total of 132,768 Canadians with MS, a number that forecasts to reach 141,598 a decade later.