Can we better manage heart disease in people with multiple sclerosis?


A Doctor and patient with an EGC printout

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease of the central nervous system, affecting over 90,000 Canadians, and more than 2.5 million persons worldwide. MS is costly, burdening affected persons and society.

Comorbidities are common in MS. Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is the leading cause of death in MS after MS itself. Young persons with MS may have an increased risk of IHD, and therefore of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), when compared to the general population.

Data access has been approved for a study to better understand risk factors in MS for ischemic heart disease and acute myocardial infarction, and to describe medical management and outcomes following acute myocardial infarction. This study is supported by a grant from the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.

This research project is led by Dr Ruth Ann Marrie, Professor of Medicine and Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba, with BC collaborators Dr Helen Tremlett, Professor of Neurology and Dr Elaine Kingwell, Research Associate in the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine and Centre for Brain Health. The project is funded by the MS Society of Canada.

“This research is important because cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in MS,” says Dr Marrie. “If we find that people with MS and AMI are being under-treated or experience worse outcomes this will support the need to change the care of such individuals and improve the prognostic information provided to people with MS and their families. This will be important for all providers involved in the care of people with MS, including primary care providers who are often responsible for identifying and managing comorbidities, specialists who manage MS and AMI, and policymakers.”

PopData will link data from the BC Ministry of Health and the BC Vital Statistics Agency for the project.