Improvement in time to multiple sclerosis diagnosis: 25-year retrospective analysis from New York State MS Consortium (NYSMSC)

Dejan Jakimovski; Katelyn S Kavak; Karen Zakalik; Timothy Coetzee; Malcolm Gottesman; Patricia K Coyle; Robert Zivadinov; Bianca Weinstock-Guttman

doi:10.1177/13524585221140271

Improvement in time to multiple sclerosis diagnosis: 25-year retrospective analysis from New York State MS Consortium (NYSMSC)

Mult Scler. 2023 May;29(6):753-756. doi: 10.1177/13524585221140271. Epub 2022 Dec 22.

Authors

Dejan Jakimovski¹, Katelyn S Kavak², Karen Zakalik², Timothy Coetzee³, Malcolm Gottesman⁴, Patricia K Coyle⁵, Robert Zivadinov⁶, Bianca Weinstock-Guttman²

Affiliations

¹ Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA/Jacobs Comprehensive MS Treatment and Research Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.
² Jacobs Comprehensive MS Treatment and Research Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.
³ National Multiple Sclerosis Society, New York, NY, USA.
⁴ NYU Langone Ambulatory Care, East Meadow. East Meadow, NY, USA.
⁵ State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
⁶ Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA/Center for Biomedical Imaging at Clinical Translational Science Institute, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.

PMID: 36545928
DOI: 10.1177/13524585221140271

Abstract

Judicious multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis and early start of disease modifying therapy significantly improves long-term disability outcomes in persons with MS (pwMS). Retrospective analysis based on 25-year New York State MS Consortium (NYSMSC) data determined the effect of changes in the respective diagnostic criteria in shortening the time between symptom onset to MS diagnosis. Based on 9378 current and historical MS cases, there was a significant decrease in time to diagnosis in pwMS from 1982-2001 to >2017 periods (average 4.2 vs. 1.1 years, p < 0.001). Additional improvements and better implementation of the MS diagnostic criteria can further decrease the diagnosis lag.

Keywords: Multiple sclerosis; diagnosis; diagnostic criteria; diagnostic lag.

MeSH terms

Disabled Persons*
Humans
Multiple Sclerosis* / diagnosis
Multiple Sclerosis* / therapy
New York
Retrospective Studies