Características clínicas y demográficas de los pacientes con enfermedades desmielinizantes en Ecuador

Abstract

Introduction

MS and NMOSD are chronic demyelinating diseases mediated by the immune system, related to demyelinating attacks on the brain, optic nerve and spinal cord, which can cause severe disability in young people. In LATAM there is few reports on the demographic and clinical characteristics of both diseases.

Objective

To establish and compare the clinical and demographic characteristics of MS and NMOSD patients.

Materials and methods

This is a descriptive and transversal study which included MS and NMOSD patients who were attended in the Carlos Andrade Marin hospital in Quito, Ecuador. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed using SPSS.

Results

We included 151 patients with MS and NMOSD, the predominant sex in the two diseases was female, mestizo ethnicity was common in both diseases, higher education was frequent in both conditions specially in MS. The average age was 42.3 years in EM and 49.8 years in TENMO (p < 0.005). Fatigue was more common in MS than NMOSD. There was a predominance of mild disability in EM and moderate disability in TENMO with a mean of EDSS 2.5 and 4.2, respectively (p < 0.005). The presence of comorbidities was infrequent in both diseases.

Conclusión

The clinical and demographic characteristics in our study is very similar to finding around the world. However, the mestizo ethnicity was common in both conditions. We found lower frequency of fatigue, motor and sensory symptoms in comparison with previous reports. NMOSD patients had higher disability than MS patients.