Contributions
Abstract: EP1350
Type: Poster Sessions
Abstract Category: Clinical aspects of MS - Epidemiology
Background: Early symptoms of MS are usually evaluated by non-MS specialists. Early treatment has been associated with improved outcomes whilst social deprivation has been shown to affect access to MS treatments. Is it unknown how low sociecomic class patients face delays in their diagnosis especially as it has been found that the average primary care consultation time was shorter in deprived areas.
Objective: To test if there is an association between social deprivation and delayed presentation of MS patients to specialist services.
Methods: MRI is an essential test in the diagnosis of MS. Time from symptom onset to 1st MRI was recorded for 108 patients from the Nottingham MS Register. As a secondary and more objective outcome measure, two independent raters evaluated T2 lesion volumes using anonymised MRIs at the first diagnostic MRI or at early MRIs if the first was not available. Patient postcodes were matched to the 2015 English Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) rankings. Cox and multiple linear regression analyses examined the significance of IMD on time to MRI and lesion volume, respectively. Additional covariates were age, sex, MS type and year of scan.
Results: Median time to 1st MRI was 15.63 months (range = 0-336). Deprivation was not a significant predictor for MRI delay (p=0.308). In 59 patients whose 1st MRI scan was accessible for analysis, deprivation did not predict higher lesion volume (p=0.256). For the patients who we did not have access to the first scan, early scans were evaluated. Accounting for time since the 1st scan, the previous non-significant finding was replicated in all 108 patients with early scans (p=0.688).
Conclusions: This study found no association between social deprivation and delayed presentation of MS patients to a typical UK MS centre. Therefore, in our study we find no evidence that interventions to improve symptom awareness should be targeted at specific population groups.
Disclosure: H. Lyle: nothing to disclose; S. Quraishi: nothing to disclose; M. Clarke: nothing to disclose; J. Paul: nothing to disclose; P. Morgan: nothing to disclose; C. Tench: nothing to disclose; N. Evangelou has received funding and support from PCORI, MS society, Biogen, Novartis, Roche,Teva
Abstract: EP1350
Type: Poster Sessions
Abstract Category: Clinical aspects of MS - Epidemiology
Background: Early symptoms of MS are usually evaluated by non-MS specialists. Early treatment has been associated with improved outcomes whilst social deprivation has been shown to affect access to MS treatments. Is it unknown how low sociecomic class patients face delays in their diagnosis especially as it has been found that the average primary care consultation time was shorter in deprived areas.
Objective: To test if there is an association between social deprivation and delayed presentation of MS patients to specialist services.
Methods: MRI is an essential test in the diagnosis of MS. Time from symptom onset to 1st MRI was recorded for 108 patients from the Nottingham MS Register. As a secondary and more objective outcome measure, two independent raters evaluated T2 lesion volumes using anonymised MRIs at the first diagnostic MRI or at early MRIs if the first was not available. Patient postcodes were matched to the 2015 English Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) rankings. Cox and multiple linear regression analyses examined the significance of IMD on time to MRI and lesion volume, respectively. Additional covariates were age, sex, MS type and year of scan.
Results: Median time to 1st MRI was 15.63 months (range = 0-336). Deprivation was not a significant predictor for MRI delay (p=0.308). In 59 patients whose 1st MRI scan was accessible for analysis, deprivation did not predict higher lesion volume (p=0.256). For the patients who we did not have access to the first scan, early scans were evaluated. Accounting for time since the 1st scan, the previous non-significant finding was replicated in all 108 patients with early scans (p=0.688).
Conclusions: This study found no association between social deprivation and delayed presentation of MS patients to a typical UK MS centre. Therefore, in our study we find no evidence that interventions to improve symptom awareness should be targeted at specific population groups.
Disclosure: H. Lyle: nothing to disclose; S. Quraishi: nothing to disclose; M. Clarke: nothing to disclose; J. Paul: nothing to disclose; P. Morgan: nothing to disclose; C. Tench: nothing to disclose; N. Evangelou has received funding and support from PCORI, MS society, Biogen, Novartis, Roche,Teva