"The number of MS patients in Pakistan is low but their life is in danger if they are not treated in a timely manner." PHOTO: FILE
During a press conference at Karachi Press Club to mark World MS Day on May 28, Aga Khan University's Prof Dr Sarwar Jamil Siddiqui said that out of every 100,000 people in the country, one person suffers from the disease. "The number of MS patients in Pakistan is low but their life is in danger if they are not treated in a timely manner."
Dr Siddiqui said that the symptoms of MS are like those of stroke. "But it is not a stroke," he added. "It is a different disease." He then informed the audience that an MS attack is slower than a stroke and attacks different parts of the body, including eyesight. Rather than attacking the young or the old, Dr Siddiqui revealed that the disease attacks people between the ages of 20 and 40.
Pakistan Society of Neurology general-secretary Dr Naila Shahbaz and Neurology Awareness and Research Foundation general-secretary Dr Abdul Malik then talked about the importance of spreading awareness regarding the disease.
"People are being diagnosed with MS on a daily basis," claimed Dr Shahbaz. "We need to inform patients and doctors." The neurologists told the media that medicine for MS is not easily available in Pakistan and that the annual treatment expense for the disease is around Rs800,000. The speakers added that modern technology has made diagnosing the disease much easier but it is still an expensive disease to treat.
Due to the weather, the ratio of MS patients is higher in northern Pakistan. The doctors said that the ratio is higher in women than in men. Early and timely treatment is important and a patient may be crippled within 10 years if the disease is not treated immediately. "The treatment is available in Pakistan," said Dr Shahbaz.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 28th, 2014.
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