ABSTRACT
Late onset multiple sclerosis (LOMS) is when the first symptom starts after 50 years of age, representing 4.5% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. This study describes the clinical characteristics of patients with LOMS followed at a specialized MS center in São Paulo. Data was obtained from medical records of 742 patients with MS. The LOMS frequency was 4.18%, median age at onset was 54 years and the predominant disease course was primary progressive (64.3%). The patients reached the disability landmarks of EDSS grades 3.0, 6.0 and 7.0 in the following proportion and time: EDSS 3.0: 77.42% of patients in 3.7 years; EDSS 6.0: 58.06% in 5.1 years and EDSS 7.0: 32.26% in 5.7 years. The comparative analysis with a matched control group of patients with early onset MS showed that late onset, associated with a progressive course, were predictors of reaching EDSS 3.0 and 6.0 in a shorter time.
aging; epidemiology; multiple sclerosis; disease progression
Highlights: 1) This is the first Latin American study of demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with Late Onset Multiple Sclerosis (LOMS) followed at a specialized multiple sclerosis (MS) center in São Paulo; 2) LOMS frequency was 4,18% of all multiple sclerosis patients; 3)Comparative analysis with a matched control group of patients with young onset MS showed that the late onset associated with a progressive course were predictors of reaching EDSS 3.0 and 6.0 in a shorter time.