(P-560) Urban Prevalence of Multiple Sclerosis in China: A Population-based Study in Six Provinces

Background: Multiple sclerosis is a rare neurological disease which is addressed by few epidemiological studies in China.

Objectives: This population-based study aimed to estimate the prevalence of multiple sclerosis in urban China by using national medical insurance databases.

Methods: Data from the Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance database and the Urban Residence Basic Medical Insurance database, which were collected during 2012–2016 and included approximately 0.20 billion residents in six provinces, were used in this population-based study. The prevalent patients with multiple sclerosis were identified via diagnostic text or disease codes. The national annual prevalence was calculated, and the prevalence was also estimated and compared by sex and age group. The unit for annual prevalence was per 100 000 population, and the 95% CI was calculated based on the Poisson distribution. We calculated the age-adjusted prevalence based on the 2010 Chinese census data, the 2013 version of the Revised European Standard Population (RESP) data, the 2010 US population data and the 2011 Australian population data.

Results: The crude prevalence in 2016 was 2.44 per 100 000 population (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.18 to 2.72) and the crude prevalence rates in males and females were 1.56 (95% CI: 1.35 to 1.79) and 3.48 (95% CI: 3.07 to 3.91), respectively. The standardized prevalence (based on 2010 Chinese census data) was 2.29 (95% CI: 2.21 to 2.38), and the standardized results based on the different populations were similar. The prevalence in both sexes in 2016 increased up to the age range of 30-34-years-old. Subsequently, the female prevalence declined with increasing age, but the male prevalence stabilized with increasing age. During the five-year time period, the prevalence ranged from 2.32 (95% CI: 2.06 to 2.60) in 2015 to 2.91 (95% CI: 2.39 to 3.47) in 2012.

Conclusions: The prevalence of multiple sclerosis in China was lower than that in Europe and North America. The temporal trend of prevalence in China was also observed to be stable. As the first prevalence study of multiple sclerosis in mainland China, this population-based study can provide useful information for worldwide health care services and prevention of multiple sclerosis.