Overview
- Using England’s primary care records from 1990 to 2023, the team found standardized prevalence rose from 107 per 100,000 in 2000 to 232 per 100,000 in 2020, equal to about 131,000 people that year.
- Projecting recent trends, the authors estimate roughly 190,000 people may be living with multiple sclerosis in England today, noting this figure is an extrapolation from routine data.
- Survival improved over time as more people diagnosed later in the study period had lower annual mortality and a higher chance of reaching age 80.
- Prevalence was highest in the least deprived areas while mortality was highest in the most deprived areas, suggesting undiagnosed cases and barriers to timely care in poorer communities.
- Compared with current smokers, former smokers had a 44% lower death risk and never-smokers 40% lower; severe obesity raised risk by 63% and underweight by 18%, with authors urging targeted stop‑smoking and weight‑management support for disadvantaged groups.