[Clinical and obstetric characteristics in women with multiple sclerosis during pregnancy].

Abstract

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease that affects the central nervous system. It is the second leading cause of disability in young adults, with a higher prevalence in women, and 70% to 75% of these women are of reproductive age.

Objective: To identify the clinical characteristics of pregnant patients with multiple sclerosis.

Material and methods: Retrospective cohort. Medical records from the Neurology Department of the Specialty Hospital, CMNO of the Mexican Social Security Institute were reviewed from January 2001 to December 2022. Women diagnosed with MS who had previously been pregnant were identified.

Results: Twenty-two patients who had been pregnant after their MS diagnosis were recruited. The age at diagnosis was 25.50 ± 6.7 years, and the age at pregnancy was 31.94 ± 5.54 years. No significant changes (p = 0.636) were observed on the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) during pregnancy. The most used medication was glatiramer acetate. 77.8% of patients did not experience disease relapses during pregnancy.

Conclusions: Pregnant women with multiple sclerosis treated at the National Western Medical Center showed clinical stability according to the EDSS before, during, and after pregnancy (p = 0.636). Most patients did not experience disease relapses during pregnancy, nor did they report complications during the immediate postpartum period.