TY - JOUR
T1 - Multiple sclerosis in Japan appears to be a milder disease compared to the UK
AU - Piccolo, L.
AU - Kumar, G.
AU - Nakashima, Ichiro
AU - Misu, T.
AU - Kong, Y.
AU - Wakerley, B.
AU - Ryan, S.
AU - Cavey, A.
AU - Fujihara, Kazuo
AU - Palace, Jacqueline
N1 - Funding Information:
Dr. Piccolo reports no disclosures. Dr. Kumar reports no disclosures. Dr. Ichiro Nakashima has served on the scientific advisory boards for Biogen Idec Japan and Novartis Pharma, has received funding for a trip and speaks from Biogen Idec Japan, Tanabe Mitsubishi, and Novartis Pharma, has received grant support from LSI Medience Corporation. Dr. Misu has received speaker honoraria from Bayer Schering Pharma, Biogen Idec Japan, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, Asahi Kasei Medical Co., and Astellas Pharma Inc. and has received research support from Bayer Schering Pharma, Biogen Idec Japan, Asahi Kasei Kuraray Medical Co., The Chemo-Sero-Therapeutic Research Institute, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, Teijin Pharma, and Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan. Dr. Kong reports no disclosures. Dr. Wakerley has been sponsored by Novartis in the past. Dr. Ryan reports no disclosures. Ana Cavey is the Coloplast Neurogenic Nurse Advisory Board March 2014. Dr. Fujihara serves on scientific advisory boards for Bayer Schering Pharma, Biogen Idec, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, Novartis Pharma, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Ono Pharmaceutical, Nihon Pharmaceutical, Merck Serono, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Medimmune and Medical Review; has received funding for travel and speaker honoraria from Bayer Schering Pharma, Biogen Idec, Eisai Inc., Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, Novartis Pharma, Astellas Pharma Inc., Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Asahi Kasei Medical Co., Daiichi Sankyo, and Nihon Pharmaceutical; serves as an editorial board member of Clinical and Experimental Neuroimmunology (2009–present) and a advisory board member of Sri Lanka journal of Neurology; has received research support from Bayer Schering Pharma, Biogen Idec Japan, Asahi Kasei Medical, The Chemo-Sero-Therapeutic Research Institute, Teva Pharmaceutical, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, Teijin Pharma, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Ono Pharmaceutical, Nihon Pharmaceutical, and Genzyme Japan; is funded as the primary investigator (#26293205, 2014–2016) and the secondary investigator (#22229008, 2010–2015) by the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of Japan and as the secondary investigator by the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labor of Japan (2010–present). Dr. Palace is partly funded by highly specialised services to run a National congenital myasthenia service and a neuromyelitis service. She has received support for scientific meetings and honorariums for advisory work from Merck Serono, Biogen Idec, Novartis, Teva, Chugai Pharma and Bayer Schering, and unrestricted grants from Merck Serono, Novartis, Biogen Idec and Bayer Schering. Her hospital trust receives funds for her role as clinical lead for the RSS, and she has received grants from the MS society and Guthie Jackson Foundation for unrelated research studies. She is a board member for the charitable European MS foundation ‘The Charcot Foundation’ and on the steering committee for a European collaborative MS imaging group ‘MAGNIMS’.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
PY - 2015/4/1
Y1 - 2015/4/1
N2 - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is relatively common in the West, but rare in Japan. In the literature, there are few comparative data regarding disease severity throughout the world. The objective of this study was to compare disability in patients from a UK and a Japanese MS cohort. We retrospectively analysed the clinical features of patients with MS from a UK and Japanese MS centre. The Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (MSSS), which adjusts the Expanded Disability Status Scale score according to disease duration, was used as a marker of disease severity. One thousand one hundred forty-eight UK patients and 104 Japanese patient were identified representing the relative national prevalence. Demographics and disease duration did not differ between the groups. Median MSSS was significantly different between the two groups (Japan 3.34 vs. UK 5.87, p < 0.001). Primary progressive MS was more common in the UK (12.9 %) than in the Japanese cohort (3 %, p = 0.044). The majority of Japanese patients (83.7 % vs. UK 17 %) had been exposed to disease modifying treatments (DMTs). Exposure to DMTs did not show a significant effect on disability. In conclusion, this study suggests that MS in Japan may be associated with less disability than in UK. More Japanese patients were treated with DMTs. Differences in treatments do not seem to explain the disparity in disability severity. This suggests either genetic or environmental influences on disease severity.
AB - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is relatively common in the West, but rare in Japan. In the literature, there are few comparative data regarding disease severity throughout the world. The objective of this study was to compare disability in patients from a UK and a Japanese MS cohort. We retrospectively analysed the clinical features of patients with MS from a UK and Japanese MS centre. The Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (MSSS), which adjusts the Expanded Disability Status Scale score according to disease duration, was used as a marker of disease severity. One thousand one hundred forty-eight UK patients and 104 Japanese patient were identified representing the relative national prevalence. Demographics and disease duration did not differ between the groups. Median MSSS was significantly different between the two groups (Japan 3.34 vs. UK 5.87, p < 0.001). Primary progressive MS was more common in the UK (12.9 %) than in the Japanese cohort (3 %, p = 0.044). The majority of Japanese patients (83.7 % vs. UK 17 %) had been exposed to disease modifying treatments (DMTs). Exposure to DMTs did not show a significant effect on disability. In conclusion, this study suggests that MS in Japan may be associated with less disability than in UK. More Japanese patients were treated with DMTs. Differences in treatments do not seem to explain the disparity in disability severity. This suggests either genetic or environmental influences on disease severity.
KW - Disability
KW - Disease modifying treatments
KW - Multiple sclerosis
KW - Prognosis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84939955050&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84939955050&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00415-015-7637-3
DO - 10.1007/s00415-015-7637-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 25605435
AN - SCOPUS:84939955050
VL - 262
SP - 831
EP - 836
JO - Deutsche Zeitschrift fur Nervenheilkunde
JF - Deutsche Zeitschrift fur Nervenheilkunde
SN - 0340-5354
IS - 4
ER -