11.15 MS incidence rates vary threefold by health board in scotland, persistently

Fifteen regional studies of multiple sclerosis rates have been published in Scotland; spanning some six decades and surveying prevalence, mortality and hospital admissions. However, only one national study has attempted to compare regional rates (using admissions data). We used the Scottish Multiple Sclerosis Register to investigate incidence rates (IR). We present crude and age-adjusted IRs, cumulative incidences, and the sex ratio of cases and rates, for all regions of Scotland: 01/01/2010 to 31/12/2017. The overall IR for Scotland was 8.76/100,000 person-years (standardized: 8.54), which is high, but likely a conservative estimate of the total burden, including only definite cases. The female-male ratio was 2.3. Regional rates and sex ratios varied significantly – up to threefold – between Health Boards (p This study is the first attempt to analyse the patterns of incidence for the whole of Scotland from prospectively collected data and benefits from a high level of completeness and ascertainment. The wide variation in incidence rates and sex-ratios is unexplained.