Clinical Presentation Of Multiple Sclerosis In A Tertiary Health Care Centre, Abuja

ABSTRACT

Multiple sclerosis is one of the most important immune mediated inflammatory diseases which affect young adults in their productive years and contributes to disability and mortality. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated inflammatory disease of unknown definite aetiology which result from abnormal activity of the body's immune system characterized by attacks of the myelinated axons in the central nervous system. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the clinic presentation of multiple sclerosis among Nigerian patients. The study which is a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at a tertiary health centre, from January 2011 and December 2020. A total of thirty-six patient had structured questionnaire administered in the Neurology Clinic and patients admitted into the medical wards. However, twenty-four patients were analyzed. The mean age of onset was 31.8 ± 8.8 with a female preponderance (91.7%). The clinical presentation of patients with multiple sclerosis showed that 95.8% had limb weakness and 87.5% had limb paraesthesia. Limb ataxia and fatigue was seen in 79.2% and 75% of the patients respectively, while 66.7% had limb spasticity and 54.4% had incoordination. The Clinical course of the disease showed that relapsing-remitting disease was seen in about 79.2% and secondary progressive is about 16.7%. This study though hospital based, suggest that MS is not uncommon among Nigerian. The 10-year period needed to get the study number may be a result of most patients being lost at the secondary health facilities due to non-recognition of the early symptoms and signs and poor diagnostics facilities.

Keywords: Multiple sclerosis, Clinical presentation, Nigeria.