‘Early diagnosis of MS crucial’

According to Barbados Nation, While the Caribbean has a lower prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) than North America and Europe, black people often experience it more severely, making early diagnosis, referral and multidisciplinary care essential. This was stressed by neurologists during an Aventa Barbados forum titled Multiple Sclerosis: Changing The Course of MS – Why Early Treatment Matters , held at Hilton Barbados recently. “In the Caribbean, we do have a lower prevalence than the rest of the world,” Dr Simeona Jacinto, a consultant at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, told the gathering. She pointed out that Scotland records 402 cases per 100 000 people and the United States between 277 and 377, while limited Caribbean data suggests figures from single digits to just under 100 per 100 000. Lower numbers, however, do not mean milder illness. “Black, Hispanic and Asian individuals often experience a more severe MS