Holm Rolf P, Wandall-Holm Malthe F, Magyari Melinda
Danish Multiple Sclerosis Registry, Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, 2600 Glostrup, Denmark.
Danish Multiple Sclerosis Center, Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, 2600 Glostrup, Denmark.
Brain. 2025 Feb 3;148(2):626-634. doi: 10.1093/brain/awae245.
With rising life expectancy and advancements in disease management, we expect the multiple sclerosis population is getting older. However, evidence supporting this hypothesis remains sparse. Our study aimed to determine whether the mean age of the Danish multiple sclerosis population has increased and to analyse the developments in sex distribution, incidence and prevalence, all of which affect age composition. We conducted a cohort study by linking nationwide data from the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Registry to the Population Statistics Registry, the Danish Cause of Death Registry, and the Historical Migration Registry. We included all living patients with a confirmed multiple sclerosis diagnosis who lived in Denmark on the 1st of January each year from 1950 to 2023. We calculated the mean and median age, age distribution, sex distribution, incidence and prevalence of the Danish multiple sclerosis population annually from 1950 to 2023. We included 28 145 individuals with multiple sclerosis. The mean age of the Danish multiple sclerosis population increased until the late 1970s to ∼52.5 years, where it stabilized until 1990. The mean age experienced a slight decline to 51.2 years in 2005, followed by a subsequent rise to its peak of 54.2 years in 2023. In 1975, females comprised 58.7% of the multiple sclerosis population, increasing to 65.7% by 2000 and 68.5% in 2023. The incidence of multiple sclerosis remained stable at ∼3.5 per 100 000 until 1975 and steadily increased by more than three times in 2000 to 11.4 per 100 000. Despite fluctuations, it remained relatively stable from 2000 until 2022, showing a slight decrease in 2022 compared to the previous two decades. Both overall and sex-specific prevalence exhibited an upward trend, particularly among females. Our study demonstrates that the mean age of the Danish multiple sclerosis population has increased, although not as decisively as expected. The female proportion has grown in tandem with prevalence, while incidence appears to have stabilized in recent decades after years of increase. Denmark's robust registry data and universal healthcare system offer a unique opportunity for reliable epidemiological analysis. Our results establish a benchmark for future demographic studies in the field of multiple sclerosis.
随着预期寿命的延长和疾病管理的进步，我们预计多发性硬化症患者群体的年龄正在增大。然而，支持这一假设的证据仍然稀少。我们的研究旨在确定丹麦多发性硬化症患者群体的平均年龄是否有所增加，并分析性别分布、发病率和患病率的变化情况，所有这些因素都会影响年龄构成。我们通过将丹麦多发性硬化症登记处的全国数据与人口统计登记处、丹麦死亡原因登记处和历史移民登记处的数据相链接，开展了一项队列研究。我们纳入了1950年至2023年每年1月1日居住在丹麦且确诊为多发性硬化症的所有在世患者。我们计算了195年至2023年丹麦多发性硬化症患者群体的平均年龄和中位数年龄、年龄分布、性别分布、发病率和患病率。我们纳入了28145名多发性硬化症患者。丹麦多发性硬化症患者群体的平均年龄在20世纪70年代末之前上升至约52.5岁，并在此稳定至1990年。平均年龄在2005年略有下降至51.2岁，随后又上升至2023年的峰值54.2岁。1975年，女性占多发性硬化症患者群体的58.7%，到2000年增至65.7%，2023年为68.5%。多发性硬化症的发病率在1975年之前一直稳定在每10万人约3.5例，2000年稳步上升至三倍多，达到每10万人11.4例。尽管有波动，但从2000年到2022年它保持相对稳定，与前二十年相比，2022年略有下降。总体患病率和按性别划分的患病率均呈上升趋势，尤其是在女性中。我们的研究表明，丹麦多发性硬化症患者群体的平均年龄有所增加，尽管不像预期的那样显著。女性比例随着患病率的上升而增加，而发病率在多年上升后近几十年来似乎已趋于稳定。丹麦强大的登记数据和全民医疗保健系统为可靠的流行病学分析提供了独特的机会。我们的研究结果为多发性硬化症领域未来的人口统计学研究建立了一个基准。
