Objective: To provide a literature overview on the prevalence of multiple system atrophy (MSA) in selected European countries

Background: Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder. The prevalence of MSA has been examined in multiple studies conducted across Europe. Data on the prevalence of MSA are of particular interest due to the insights such studies can provide on risk factors for MSA as well as on the burden of the disease in the population. To date, published prevalence studies of MSA have not included a review of all European countries.

Method: A literature search (PubMed, EMBASE) was performed through 2022 to identify published studies on the prevalence of MSA in European countries. The search was restricted to studies published in English language. Of these search results, titles and abstracts were screened for relevance. A standardized assessment tool was used for data extraction to systematically report and compare the data. For studies where only the incidence rate was reported, the prevalence of MSA was derived based on the incidence and duration of disease.

Results: A total of 18 studies that estimated the prevalence or the incidence rates of MSA were identified. The studies were conducted in France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK and published between 1995- 2022. The prevalence of MSA was estimated in 14 (78%) studies and was derived from 4 (22%) incidence studies.

These studies were mainly prospective population-based studies or multi-center studies from specific region or specialty clinical setting. Two earlier studies in Germany and the Netherlands were conducted using door-to-door design. The time period of evaluation of prevalence ranged from 1990-2018.

The estimated crude prevalence of MSA ranged from 0.52/100,000 in Spain to 6.2/100,000 in Norway. Age-specific prevalence rates were provided in 5 studies, and the reported age ranges varied. The gender-specific crude prevalence was estimated as 2.75/100,000 for men and 1.19/100.000 for women. The derived prevalence was higher (ranging from 8.8-18.9/100,000) than studies where the prevalence was reported.

Conclusion: The variations observed in the prevalence of MSA may result from differences in the age distributions of the study populations, study methodology, diagnostic criteria and case assessment strategies. The comparability of these published studies is limited.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/prevalence-of-multiple-system-atrophy-in-europe-literature-review/