rki.news | Sources Xinhua
MELBOURNE, Sept. 22: About 3.1 million people worldwide are estimated to be living with multiple sclerosis (MS), a 54-percent increase over the past decade, according to an international study involving Australian scientists.
The study analyzed data from 133 countries and regions representing 93 percent of the world’s population and provides the latest update of the Atlas of MS, a major source of global data on the disease.
Published in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal, the study also found that an estimated 37,756 people were living with MS in Australia in 2024, a 77-percent increase from 2010.
Professor Ingrid van der Mei of the Menzies Institute for Medical Research at the University of Tasmania said the findings highlighted the growing global burden of MS and the importance of reliable data for healthcare planning and research.
Researchers noted that the increase did not necessarily mean MS was becoming more common. Earlier diagnosis, improved data collection and longer life expectancy among people with MS may have contributed.
Women accounted for about 70 percent of global cases, while more than 40,000 children and adolescents were reported to be living with MS.
Global Multiple Sclerosis Cases Reach 3.1 Million: Study
