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Experts say nation may have more MS cases than thought

With results of the first nationwide research of multiple sclerosis showing that reported incidences of the disease in Taiwan are much lower than in Japan or the West, experts fear that many cases are either not being reported or are being misdiagnosed.

They urged early diagnosis and treatment for the disease at a press conference held yesterday hosted by Schering, a research-oriented pharmaceutical company based in Germany.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system that typically afflicts people ages 18-50. It manifests itself in a range of symptoms including balance problems, visual problems, numbness and an inability to move the limbs.

Low numbers

According to the research, which was conducted by Schering in conjunction with the Taiwan Foundation of Rare Disorders, the prevalence of MS in Taiwan is 2.5 per 100,000 people, with 589 patients being identified through October this year.

This compares with 10 per 100,000 in Japan and 1 per 1,000 in Europe, which according to the Managing Director of Schering Taiwan LTD, Bernhard Dreikorn, meant that MS in Taiwan was, "Still a significantly under-diagnosed disease."

Secretary-General of the Multiple Sclerosis Patients Organization Michael Wu (巫忠興) said, "About 80 percent of patients registered with the organization are based in the north. But this doesn't mean there are fewer incidences in other parts of Taiwan. In reality, incidences of misdiagnosis in central and southern Taiwan are very high."

A 20-year-old MS patient surnamed Lin who came to share her experiences said, "After my first attack I was diagnosed with facial neuralgia. The symptoms went away after I had acupuncture treatment. When they reoccurred two years later I was referred to the psychiatric department before getting treatment from the neurology department."

Lin said that she hadn't suspected she had MS because she had never heard of the disease, and had developed anxiety as a result of her symptoms.

Ignorance

According to a survey of 141 patients taken as part of the research, 89.4 percent of patients were unaware of the symptoms and treatments for MS prior to their clinical diagnosis.

Dr. Yang Chih-chao (楊智超) of the neurology department at National Taiwan University Hospital emphasized the importance of early treatment, pointing to studies which showed that while 45 percent of those who received no treatment experienced relapses within 2 years, only 28 percent of those who received a treatment with Betaferon -- a drug manufactured by Schering -- experienced relapses.
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