ABSTRACT
Background: Multiple sclerosis inflammation demyelinating disease of the central nervous system affecting nearly 2 million people worldwide. Multiple sclerosis typically begins in early adulthood and has a variable prognosis
Objective: To determine the factors that affects the prognosis in Iraqi patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis
Patients and Methods: This study includes fifty patients with relapsing remitting MS and was conducted from March 2007 to July 2008in Baghdad Teaching Hospital MS clinic. A study protocol sheet was done and filled from the patient's database in the MS clinic. The Prognostic indicators of residual disabillity depends on the [EDSS]
Results: The mean age for the study sample was 45-58 years, with 27 male and 23 female. High percentage of patients represented as monosymptomatic [70%], most of symptoms was spinal [48%]. The mean value for relapses was 2.3 with maximum number of 6. The study shows that there is no significant effect of gender as a prognostic indicators on the residual disabillity of patient with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. There is significant correlation between the age at CDMS and the EDSS in the first visit [SDSSI]
Conclusion: we concluded that the older age at onset, pyramidal and sphincteric involvement at the beginning of the illness and more relapses in the first 2 years of the illness all are associated with poor prognosis.