A University of Alberta study shows that rural Albertans living with multiple sclerosis are not as likely as urban patients to receive the best treatments to prevent relapses and slow down progression of the disease.
In recently published research in the journal Neurology, the team tracked records for 4,593 people living with multiple sclerosis from 2019 to 2020, 673 in rural areas and 3,920 in urban centres.
They found that rural patients were 17 per cent less likely to receive any therapy to control their MS and were 26 per cent less likely to be on one of the most highly effective treatments.
"When we don't treat people living with MS adequately and they are getting worse over time, they face losses and limitations," says principal investigator Penny Smyth, a clinical neurologist and professor in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. "They might have to stop work early or take another type of job. They might have to take disability income. They may not be able to save for retirement, limiting what they can achieve."
According to the U of A's Multiple Sclerosis Centre, MS is caused by a misfiring of the immune system. It attacks myelin, which insulates nerves in the brain, spinal cord and eyes. MS can lead to loss of balance, impaired speech, fatigue, even paralysis and early death. It's the most common neurological disability in young adults, and only 20 per cent of MS patients are still working 10 years after their diagnosis.
It was estimated in 2013 that 340 per 100,000 Albertans live with MS, compared with 290 per 100,000 across Canada, among the highest rates in the world.
Smyth explains that MS symptoms tend to come in waves, known as relapses, especially at the outset of the condition. It's now known that early treatment soon after diagnosis can tamp down the immune response, reduce inflammation and help prevent the disease's escalation. The older approach started with less intense treatment, then added therapies as new relapses occurred.
