title: Prevalence of multiple sclerosis in Bogotá, Colombia.
abstract: Among Latin American countries, Colombia is considered a low-risk area for multiple sclerosis (MS) and no studies on MS prevalence have been conducted in any of the country's large urban settings. To fill this gap and assess the prevalence of MS in Bogotá as of December 31, 2002, this study reviewed the clinical records of patients diagnosed with MS in most Bogotá hospitals. This review produced a sample of 296 patients with an MS diagnosis whose reliability was verified by a neurologist with expertise in MS. The total prevalence rate identified for December 2002 was 4.41/100,000 inhabitants (95% CI 3.9-4.9), including a rate of 5.98/100,000 (95% CI 5.2-6.8) for women and 2.71/100,000 (95% CI 2.2-3.3) for men (differences measured at p < 0.001). The prevalence estimates for Bogotá, confirm the city's status as a low-risk area for MS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá, Bogotá, Colombia. jaimetorog@cable.net.co
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Toro
authors.forename: Olga L
authors.initials: OL
authors.lastname: Sarmiento
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Díaz del Castillo
authors.forename: Claudia Liliana
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Satizábal
authors.forename: Jhon Darwin
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Ramírez
authors.forename: Ana Cristina
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Montenegro
authors.forename: María Carolina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Góngora
authors.forename: Jairo Alonso
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Quiñones
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tobón
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014504:Urban Health