Identifying multiple sclerosis in women of childbearing age in six European countries: a contribution from the ConcePTION project.

ABSTRACT: Prevalence of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has increased over the last decades, primarily among women of childbearing age. Several algorithms for identifying MS have been described in the literature, providing heterogeneous prevalence estimates. We compared five algorithms to identify MS in women of childbearing age and estimated MS prevalence by time period and age-group. The study population included women aged 15 to 49 years-old between 2005 and 2019, from three data sources including all women (from Italy, Norway, and Wales), and three including pregnant women only (from France, Finland, and Spain; data collected around pregnancy). Five algorithms were tested: MS1 to MS3 combined MS diagnoses and MS-medicine prescriptions/dispensations, requiring 1, 2, or 3 occurrences, respectively; MS4 an

SUBMITTER: Beslay M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12374901 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature