AAN 2022 | Disparate disability accumulation in multiple sclerosis

Lilyana Amezcua, MD, FAAN, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, talks about disparate disability accumulation in multiple sclerosis (MS) depending on race. A recently presented cohort study aimed to determine if socioeconomic deprivation predicts racial and ethnic disparities in MS disability. A multiethnic cohort was studied, including age- and sex-matched White, Black, and Hispanic patients. It was found that Black individuals with MS were living in worse conditions compared to White individuals, contributed to by transportation, housing, language, and socioeconomic factors. Dr Amezcua focuses on bringing this information back to the clinic by using social vulnerability index (SVI) scores to help map out race place-based disparities. SVI, a census-based index, is a composite measure of these socioeconomic and social determinants of health that might unravel neighborhood conditions patients are living in. Dr Amezcua’s aim is to use this to improve MS care in the clinic. This is especially important due to the huge impact race and ethnicity have on MS. This interview took place at the American Academy of Neurology 2022 Congress in Seattle, WA.