The relationship between ethnicity and multiple sclerosis characteristics in the United Kingdom: A UK MS Register study.

Background: Previous studies have suggested differences in multiple sclerosis (MS) severity according to ethnicity.

Methods: Data were obtained from the UK MS Register, a prospective longitudinal cohort study of persons with MS. We examined the association between self-reported ethnic background and age at onset, symptom of onset and a variety of participant-reported severity measures. We used adjusted multivariable linear regression models to explore the association between ethnicity and impact of MS, and Cox proportional hazards models to assess disability progression.

Results: We analysed data from 17,314 people with MS, including participants from self-reported Black (n = 157) or South Asian (n = 230) ethnic backgrounds. Age at MS onset and diagnosis was lower in those of South Asian (median 30.0) and Black (median 33.0) ethnicity compared with White ethnicity (median 35.0). In participants with online MS severity measures available, we found no statistically significant evidence for an association between ethnic background and physical disability in MS in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses.

Conclusion: We found no association between ethnic background and MS severity in a large, diverse UK cohort. These findings suggest that other factors, such as socioeconomic status and structural inequalities, may explain previous findings.