Overview
- Neurologists raised the alarm on Thursday that the average time to diagnose and start treatment for multiple sclerosis in Spain is one to two years and reaches three years for at least 20% of patients.
- The SEN reports that more than 58,000 people in Spain live with multiple sclerosis and about 2,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, with onset most often between ages 20 and 40 and higher rates in women.
- Doctors say improved MRI scans, cerebrospinal fluid testing and blood biomarkers now detect the disease more accurately and that a growing range of disease‑modifying drugs can change prognosis if started early.
- World Multiple Sclerosis Day actions, including the Casa de Gobierno in Tucumán being lit orange on May 30, are being used to raise visibility for so‑called invisible symptoms like fatigue and cognitive change that delay recognition.
- Long diagnostic delays can leave people without access to treatments that slow progression, increase the chance of accumulated disability, and make calls for faster referral pathways, better primary‑care recognition and expanded access to testing a policy priority.