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Abstract

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system affecting nearly 2 million people worldwide. Multiple sclerosis typically begins in early adulthood and has a variable prognosis. OBJECTIVE: To determine the factors that affects the prognosis in Iraqi patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study includes fifty patients with relapsing remitting MS and was conducted from March 2007 to July 2008 in Baghdad Teaching Hospital MS clinic. A study protocol sheet was done and filled from the patient’s database in the MS clinic. The prognostic indicator of residual disability depends on the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). RESULTS: The mean age for the study sample was 45.58 years, with 27 male and 23 female. High percentage of patients presented as monosymptomatic (70%), most of the symptoms was spinal (48%). The mean value for relapses was 2.3 with maximum number of 6. The study shows that there is no significant effect of gender as a prognostic indicator on the residual disability of patient with relapsing remitting MS. There is significant correlation between the age at CDMS and the EDSS in the first visit (EDSS1). CONCLUSION: We concluded that the older age at onset, pyramidal and sphincteric involvement at the beginning of the illness and more relapses in the first 2 years of the illness all are associated with poor prognosis.

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