The aim of our study is to establish the clinical, para-clinical, therapeutic and progressive profile of Multiple sclerosis (MS) in the Algerian region of Bejaia. We performed a retrospective descriptive study for a period of 4 years, going from January 2015 to December 2018. Diagnosis of MS was retained according to the 2010 McDonald criteria. Epidemiological characteristics were studied, such as first clinical presentation, clinical form, biological and neuroradiological data, current therapeutic management as well as evolutionary profile by evaluation of the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). We collected 109 Patient with MS, including 71 (65%) women and 38 (35%) men with a Sex Ratio F / M of 1.86. Average age of patients was 38.7 years with extremes between 17 and 65 years. Average age of onset was 31 years (ranging from 11 to 53 years). MS diagnostic delay was 2.9 years. The most frequent MS form was the relapsing remitting (80%), then the secondary progressive (12%) and finally the primary progressive form in 8% of cases. Patients received relapses corticosteroid treatment in 73% of cases. Disease modifying therapies (DMT) was prescribed based on interferon beta in 83 patients, Natalizumab in 2 patients and cyclophosphamide in 22 patients. We observed that EDSS increased from less than 5 in all patients at onset to more than 5 in 11% of patients after an average period of 6.7 years. Despite the small sample of our population, the severe aspect of North African MS could be clearly seen in our study.

North Africa

Multiple Sclerosis

Disabilities