Multiple sclerosis on the rise in India

[MSUK]

The occurrence of Multiple Sclerosis, an inflammatory disorder of the human brain and the nerves, is significantly on the rise in India where it is now “largely under-recognised and under-diagnosed”, Dr Richard A Rudick, a renowned neurologist said on Saturday.

While the disease prevalence rate in the US is around one per 1, 000 population, almost as many people in India “may be affected” by this disease, Dr Rudick, Director of the Mellen Centre for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research, Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Cleveland, USA, said here.

Delivering the prestigious T S Srinivasan Endowment Oration, which brings to India world leaders in the field of neurology every year, he said such a prevalence level “could make its occurrence rate in India exponentially much higher than that of the US.”... Read More - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm/fuseact ... ageid/2325

[icecube2]

Squiffy

I dont believe its about geography, but how westernized a country is were they are subjected to emotional stresses and more likely to suffer injury such as a car accident etc causing trauma such as whiplash, or a sporting injury.

May seem rediculous to some
but prevokes thought though eh!

[Lyon]

MS has long been associated with populations which have become "developed". It's no secret that anytime you talk to a representative of the phone company or need computer support you're talking to someone in India or what had previously been considered a third world country with a third world economy. Now that an increasing percentage of those populations are making money and living a "developed" life style it's understandable that with a little time they are going to start showing the same immune dysfunctions that we did after we became "developed/industrialized". China and other places with are also seeing increasing MS rates along with their improved economy as increasing numbers of their population seek to and can now afford to live the Western lifestyle.

[HarryZ]

A similar situation happened in the Middle East over the past 20 years where MS was once quite rare.

One explanation I have heard is that these countries have slowly been introduced to Western food, meaning fast food and all that comes with it. We have seen some researchers state in the past year or so that MS is not auto-immune but a disease originating in the circulatory system brought on by poor eating habits. Could their theory be the answer? It certainly has possibilities.

Harry

[Lyon]

A similar situation happened in the Middle East over the past 20 years where MS was once quite rare.

One explanation I have heard is that these countries have slowly been introduced to Western food, meaning fast food and all that comes with it. We have seen some researchers state in the past year or so that MS is not auto-immune but a disease originating in the circulatory system brought on by poor eating habits. Could their theory be the answer? It certainly has possibilities.

Harry

I'm not sure Harry but I've read that the disparity in those populations is amazing regarding in the city where the jobs and the money are MS rates are approaching ours while a few miles away, where people remain destitute, MS rates remain at their historically rare to non-existant rates.....according to what those working on the hygiene hypothosis have stated in the past. I don't personally have those figures.

[HarryZ]

A similar situation happened in the Middle East over the past 20 years where MSHarry

I'm not sure Harry but I've read that the disparity in those populations is amazing regarding in the city where the jobs and the money are MS rates are approaching ours while a few miles away, where people remain destitute, MS rates remain at their historically rare to non-existant rates.....according to what those working on the hygiene hypothosis have stated in the past. I don't personally have those figures.

Bob,

I'm thinking that those destitute people remain on the diet they have had for years while the more affluent ones in the city would not only be tempted by the Western diet but also endure the added stress that comes with city living. Add the two together and you start to wonder.

Harry

[cheerleader]

It's important to note that this story was not about a study, or any new published literature, but about neurologist Dr. Richard A. Rudick's visit to India, and a presentation he made on MS drugs. And his opinion. The press in India took his presentation to mean "MS is curable."

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels ... ys-doc-324

Multiple sclerosis is no longer untreatable, asserted Dr Richard A. Rudick. While delivering the T.S. Srinivasan endowment oration in the city on Saturday, the Director of Mellen Centre for multiple sclerosis, neurological institute, Cleveland clinic in the US, revealed that with today’s medical advances about 30 to 50 per cent of patients afflicted with MS can be treated.

MS is one of the most debilitating of neurological disabilities that has a hugely negative impact on a patient’s quality of life. The disease that affects about one in 1,000 people in the US may be affecting almost as many Indians, which means the numbers are huge here.

According to Dr Rudick, MS in India remains largely under-recognised and under-diagnosed, but that may change soon.

In his speech titled, ‘Meeting the Challenge of Multiple Sclerosis - The Road Ahead’, Dr Rudick, said “MS, an auto-immune disease that affects the brain and the spinal cord (central nervous system), is a neurological disorder on the rise. We’ve made more progress in the last 15 years in MS than we did in the last 200 years in the history of this condition.”

Richard A. Rudick's Disclosures:
R.A. Rudick has received consulting fees from Biogen Idec, Inc., Genzyme, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, Teva, and Wyeth.

wonder who paid for the trip to India?

For those interested in published research, here is the real info on MS rates in India as of 2011. Not one in 1,000, as Dr. Rudick and his sponsors hope, but 3 in 100,000.

Despite a modest estimated prevalence of MS in India of 3/100,000, in this a nation of 1.2 billion people, there are probably more than 30,000 people with MS. With the currently available data, it appears that MS in India and in the west have similar presentations and risk factors. Although the role of selected environmental factors that confer susceptibility await evaluation, evidence suggests that genetic susceptibility factors may be similar in Indian and western populations, although this requires validation through larger studies.

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ad/2011/937586/
cheer

[HarryZ]

Thanks for that info, Cheer. Nothing like a little "fact" to correct "fiction." So India's MS situation hasn't really increased.

When Ruddick comes out and says that "MS is an auto-immune disease", you can certainly see the connection with big pharma surfacing! Some things just never change in the world of MS medicine.

Harry

[ikulo]

Come on guys. This was a brief article about the rise of MS in India. How do we go from that to pointing the finger at pharma, again.

Getting back on topic, if there is an increase, could that be due to an increase in just the diagnosis of MS? For example, an explosion of medical technology in India could lead to more MRI machines, doctors, access to hospitals by roads, etc. Instead of people dying form MS in their villages, they may be heading to the nearest city to first be diagnosed. Are there any statistics that could clear up those variables?

Also, let's remember the whole association/causation thing. Yes, developed countries have fast food, but they also have toilets, televisions, suits, ice cream cones, and hockey rinks. Anyway, just playing devils advocate to bring us back on topic.

[ikulo]

For other geeks like me.

There are about 600 MRI scanners in India today; by the end of the next decade, the number is likely to have increased to 1000 or 1200. . . . with the economy booming and the GDP growth at 8-9%, it may become possible to acquire MRI equipment more easily and ensure that its benefits become available even to the poorest in the land.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2747440/


If you build it, they will come!

[cheerleader]

Ikulo---the article was not about increase of MS in India. It was about Dr. Rudick coming to India and making a speech on the new drugs. Dr. Rudick made a claim about MS rates equalling that of the US with no medical or research backing. It is merely his opinion, with no basis in current research.

Did you actually read the article?

I'll link it once again....it is very, very telling. The headline is "Multiple Sclerosis curable, says doc"
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels ... ys-doc-324

Yes, more MRIs will increase diagnosis, but that wasn't what this article was about.
cheer

[Leonard]

A similar situation happened in the Middle East over the past 20 years where MS was once quite rare.

One explanation I have heard is that these countries have slowly been introduced to Western food, meaning fast food and all that comes with it. We have seen some researchers state in the past year or so that MS is not auto-immune but a disease originating in the circulatory system brought on by poor eating habits. Could their theory be the answer? It certainly has possibilities.

Harry

industrialisation (causing vein deficiency preparing for the condition) and fast food (causing the gut to go wrong).
I am very serious on this, see here how it all fits together: see http://www.thisisms.com/forum/general-d ... 15188.html

[HarryZ]

Like Cheer said, the article, if read carefully, is about the possible introduction of the approved MS drugs into India. One doesn't need to point the finger at pharma in order to see how they operate...this is how they do business. They pay docs very nicely to promote their products and do exactly what Dr. Rudick did. The revenue potential for MS drugs in India would be immense and companies such as Biogen will be at the front of the line to do just that. The Indian Press sort of inferred that MS could be curable and you could see the association between "cure" and the drugs that Rudick spoke about.

This is exactly the outcome that was hoped for. It will be interesting to see what kind of marketing and sales takes place in India in the following months, promoting the likes of the CRABs, Tysabri and the new orals.

Harry

[Leonard]

Like Cheer said, the article, if read carefully, is about the possible introduction of the approved MS drugs into India. One doesn't need to point the finger at pharma in order to see how they operate...this is how they do business. They pay docs very nicely to promote their products and do exactly what Dr. Rudick did. The revenue potential for MS drugs in India would be immense and companies such as Biogen will be at the front of the line to do just that. The Indian Press sort of inferred that MS could be curable and you could see the association between "cure" and the drugs that Rudick spoke about.

This is exactly the outcome that was hoped for. It will be interesting to see what kind of marketing and sales takes place in India in the following months, promoting the likes of the CRABs, Tysabri and the new orals.

Harry

that is what commercial companies do, they are responsive to the market and responsible to their shareholders..

the problems is that public health has been overshadowed by the pharma and clinical sector since the 1950's.

there are many ethical questions; we are facing a crisis here as big as the crisis in the banking sector.

the transition towards a sustainable system won't come easy and needs clear policy decisions and perhaps even a new form of global governance.

[HarryZ]

that is what commercial companies do, they are responsive to the market and responsible to their shareholders..

the problems is that public health has been overshadowed by the pharma and clinical sector since the 1950's.

You couldn't be more right, Leonard. But as you inferred, when business and health care ethics mingle, it can become a very grey area.

The FDA has slapped many pharmaceutical company hands over the years when these companies make claims or advertise outside the acceptable rules set forward by the FDA. This has happened to Biogen over the years but warning letters and/or fines they have received are looked upon as the cost of doing business. They have crossed paths with the FDA over their promotion of Tysabri but when you look at the revenue involved, it doesn't phase them one bit. And you can bet that they have their $ite$ on the Indian market.

Harry