Prevalence of multiple sclerosis in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.

Objective: Multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence, in some cities in Brazil, was estimated and was found to range from 0.75 to 30.7/100,000. The reasons for such a large variation in rates of prevalence are not clear, but environment and genetics help to explain this phenomenon.

Methods: A cross-sectional study using three sources of case ascertainment to estimate the prevalence of MS in the city of Goiânia in December, 2015.

Results: A total of 318 MS patients was found after removing overlapping sources. The prevalence of MS was 22.4/100,000 population.

Conclusion: Our study was the first in Goiás and the third in the midwest region, and we found a great increase in the prevalence of MS in the region. It is necessary to perform other studies using the same methodology for a more accurate evaluation of the true prevalence of MS in Brazil.