PARIS, August 29 (Benin News) –
Researchers have found that people who live further from the equator are more likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS) and this is often attributed to exposure to vitamin D. But countries further from the equator tend to be wealthier than in countries near the equator. .
A new analysis shows that the amount a country spends on health care may help explain the relationship between multiple sclerosis and latitude, its authors published in the online edition of “Neurology “, the medical journal of the United States. American Academy of Neurology.
According to study author Deanna Saylor, MD, of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the United States and a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, the results suggest that MS rates may be widely underestimated in low-income populations. country with low health care costs, which means that people have less access to neurologists with the expertise to diagnose MS and the MRI scans needed to make the diagnosis.
For this analysis, researchers analyzed data from scientific studies and databases to determine the current rates of MS in 203 countries and territories. They then grouped these countries by world region and by income level.
MS rates vary by region and income level. For example, in large countries, an average of 46 people out of 100,000 have MS, compared to 10 out of 100,000 in low-income countries. Health spending per capita is $2,805 (approximately €2,805) in high-income countries, compared to $45 (€44.8) in low-income countries.
For each location, the researchers looked at gross domestic product per capita, current health care spending per capita, income levels, availability of brain scans to diagnose MS, number of neurologists per capita, and universal healthcare. They also looked at lifestyle factors, such as obesity and smoking.
After adjusting the data for other factors that may influence MS risk, such as age and gender, they found that health care spending and latitude were strongly associated with MS rates.
Research shows that for every one standard deviation increase in Health spending per Capita, the prevalence of MS in a country increases by 0.49. On the other hand, for every one standard deviation increase in latitude, the prevalence of MS in a country increases by 0.65.
They also found that health care spending explained some, but not all, of the relationship between latitude and MS. After adjusting for other factors, the relationship between latitude and MS decreased by more than 20% when per capita health costs were considered.
Availability of universal health care is associated with higher rates of MS in all regions of the world except Southeast Asia, where universal health care is associated with higher rates of MS.
In high-income countries, MS rates are associated with most factors, including gross domestic product per capita, current health expenditures per capita, and the number of neurologists, but not smoking and obesity. or the number of MRI units per inhabitant. However, in low-income countries, no association was seen with any of these factors, which may explain the lack of significant change in data from these countries, Saylor said. .
According to Saylor, the fact that current health spending per capita is so strongly correlated with national rates of multiple sclerosis supports the hypothesis that greater investment in health care results in stronger reporting of multiple sclerosis rates. .
He also points out that the small link between MS rates and lifestyle factors, such as smoking and obesity, contradicts previous assumptions that lifestyle habits and drinking explain of the most regional differences in reported rates of MS.
Saylor warned that strategies are urgently needed to reduce the shortages of trained professionals and critical technologies that prevent accurate assessment of the burden of MS in low-income countries.
It also warns that the current low rates of MS reported in these countries may obscure the need to educate medical providers about MS and limit investment in improved diagnosis and treatment. areas where scarce resources are often allocated to diseases that are considered more common.