Introduction: Multiple Sclerosis is the leading neurological cause of disability in young adults. The objective of this study was to describe the time free from disability since diagnosis and to analyze associated factors.
Method: Retrospective follow-up study of a cohort based on records of patients who consulted the Neurological Institute of Colombia between 2013 and 2021. Progression to disability was defined as the time to obtain a value greater than 3.5 on the EDSS scale. Parametric survival model for interval censored data with Weibull distribution was used to estimate survival function and Hazard Ratios.
Results: 216 patients were analyzed. The median disability-free time was 12 years (95% CI 7.56-17.66). Cerebellar complications (aHR = 8.18; 95% CI 4.09-16.35), vision (aHR = 2.25; 95% CI 1.25-4.05) and age at diagnosis over 40 (aHR = 1 .28; 95% CI 0.68-2.4) were associated with shorter time to progression, other initial symptoms (aHR = 0.35; 95% CI 0.18-0.68), stem lesions (aHR = 0.6; 95% CI 0.33-1.1), MSRR (aHR = 0.17; 95% CI 0.08-0.33) and women were associated with a longer time to progression.
Conclusion: Clinical and imaging factors allow identifying patients at high risk of rapid progression to disability.
