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Neighborhood income and education level are badociated with the risk of progression of disability in multiple sclerosis patients, suggests a new research from the University of British Columbia.
Researchers from the University of British Columbia and colleagues in Wales compared population health data with several measures of socio-economic status. They also found that a low income and a lower level of education in the neighborhood were badociated with an increased likelihood of achieving key physical disability goals, such as difficulty walking. .
The results – published online today in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology – paint a clearer picture of how wealth and education could affect patients with MS.
"This study is the first of its kind," said Helen Tremlett, senior author, professor in the Division of Neurology at the University of British Columbia and Canada Research Chair in Neuroepidemiology and Multiple Sclerosis. . "Previous studies have examined the relationship between socioeconomic status and the risk of developing MS, and here we have been able to show a relationship between socio-economic status and subsequent risk of progression of disability."
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when the body's immune system attacks myelin, the fatty substance that isolates neurons to allow rapid transmission of electrical signals. When the myelin or neurons are damaged, communication between the brain and other parts of the body is disrupted, resulting in impaired ability, including vision problems, muscle weakness, difficulty in breathing, and difficulty in breathing. balance and coordination and a cognitive decline. Most people with MS will experience some form of reduced ability.
Since the Welsh and Canadian population health monitoring systems are similar, the team was able to access comparable information for both groups of patients. For Canadian patients, the team determined socio-economic status using census data, which linked postal codes to neighborhood-level income. Clinical information from a provincial multiple sclerosis database was linked to provincial population-based health administrative data. Welsh patients were evaluated by linking similar datasets, including information from the National Health Service, postal code-related income data, and education level.
A key element of this study was that socioeconomic status data had been collected before the onset of MS, thus outpacing any possible effect of the disease on socio-economic status.
Researchers have not examined the specific factors that may explain the relationship between lower socio-economic status and higher risk of progression of disability, but they suggest that modifiable lifestyle factors, such as diet and exercise, could be involved.
"If that's the case, the risk can be changed," says Tremlett. "One of the next steps is to understand why this relationship exists."
Marilyn Lenzen, a resident of North Vancouver, who was diagnosed with MS almost two decades ago, said she was not surprised to learn that researchers are now establishing a clear link between socio-economic status and progression of disability in MS patients.
"I am pleased to see that there is currently research that corroborates what many members of the MS community and I have known for years," Lenzen said. "A person who has the financial means to buy healthier foods or who can afford to participate in yoga, pilates or specialized exercises to regain strength after a relapse does not experience the same progression of disabling symptoms than others who can not afford to access healthy lifestyle choices. "
After her diagnosis, Lenzen, now 59, could no longer stand the long hours and long journeys required for her work in the workplace. However, when she left her job, she also lost her complementary health benefits and saw her income drop significantly.
"When I was diagnosed for the first time, I remember having to crawl on my knees down the stairs to go to bed every night," she recalls. "But I was determined to exercise and keep my muscles strong.I started riding a bike and, with the help of an electric bike, I I traveled 3,000 kilometers by bike last year.
"I still have occasional relapses, but the relapses are not as severe and I have the strength to rebuild myself.I hope that all people with MS, regardless of their socio-economic status, have the same opportunities to live to slow the progression of their disease. " disease."
The researchers hope that future studies on multiple sclerosis will take into account the socio-economic status of participants, especially if several study sites are involved and the results are compared from one region to another, their status socio-economic factors may be an important factor in the progression of disability.
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