Multiple Sclerosis cases rise by 20 times in Bahrain

Manama : The number of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients in Bahrain has increased by 20 times in recent years.

The number has gone from 50 in 2009 to 1,000 in 2016, according to the Bahrain Multiple Sclerosis Patients Society. This was disclosed by Ali Tulefat, one of the founding members of Bahrain Multiple Sclerosis Patients Society.

“This is certainly alarming because the increase has been rapid and we do not know the reason behind it. This calls for more awareness about the disease within the Bahraini society. Most people in the Kingdom are not aware of MS and what it does to a person. As a result many who are affected by the disease fail to seek treatment right away,” he told DT News.

“There have been many cases where the patients neglect their symptoms thinking it might go away on their own and they learn about MS only when it is too late. People do not know about MS and so do not suspect it even when they experience more than one symptoms. It is a rare disease and so there are many challenges associated with it,” he said.

Tulefat pointed out that there is no known cause for Multiple Sclerosis.

“There is nothing in particular that I can point out as the reason for the drastic increase in the number of MS patients.

There are many theories about why the disease became more common in the region, but they are baseless,” he said. 

“MS patients may experience different symptoms, some may lose their ability to walk, others may have difficulties using their hands or experience vision-related issues etc. There are different stages of MS, so it is important to seek treatment quickly,” added Tulefat.