MORE than 15,000 are living with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Scotland - confirming Scotland has a higher rate of diagnosis than anywhere in the world, according to a charity.
The study based on Public Health England (PHE) data says that the 15,700 now estimated to have been diagnosed with MS is just over 40% more than previously thought.
The new data estimates the prevalence of people with the condition is higher than the 11,000 figure which had been used before.
The rise has been put down to a range of factors, including an ageing MS population and better diagnostic methods, as well as improved recording of medical data.
The new figure means that, according to MS Society Scotland, one in 300 in Scotland is living with the potentially disabling condition which damages the body's nerves and makes it harder for people to do things such as walking, talking, eating and thinking.
READ MORE: Multiple sclerosis map of Scotland - Orkney still battling highest MS incidence
MS Society Scotland, which produced the new data, said that around 13 people are diagnosed with the condition every week on average, and many struggle to get the help and support they need.
Morna Simpkins, director of MS Society Scotland, said: "These new figures confirm what we already suspected - that there are many more people living with MS in Scotland than previously thought.
"While the NHS is getting better at diagnosing and recording cases of MS, unfortunately in many important ways society is getting worse at supporting people with the condition.
"Compared to just a few years ago, fewer people with MS receive social care support and key welfare payments - and we hear far too many stories of people struggling to stay in work without the adjustments they need.
"We now know that Scotland has a higher rate of MS than anywhere in the world and that underlines the need for action on care and support to guarantee that people who are diagnosed with the condition are able to access the help they need."
PHE generated the new estimated figures with the MS Society using 2018 patient information taken from a GP database.
The body applied the number of people identified as having MS to the population as a whole in England.
The MS Society replicated the research methodology to establish UK-wide figures.
MS Society Scotland said that anecdotal evidence from healthcare professionals, academics and other knowledgeable sources suggested that the new estimate is "in line with what is seen on the ground in MS clinics and services".
Research by the University of Edinburgh last summer put the Scottish incedence rate at 8.76 per 100,000 which equates to around 470 cases.
The rates varied between regions, with higher incidences in Orkney and Tayside.
There was also found to be a lower rate across the central belt, and in the Borders.
While Orkney topped the table, Tayside had the highest incidence of the disease in mainland Scotland. Rates of diagnosis were three times higher in Orkney than the central belt and Borders, and MS rates in women were double that of men.
READ MORE: Researchers in bid to explain Scotland's high rates of MS
A fortnight ago health charities welcomed a watershed decision to approve the first ever drug used in the treatment of progressive MS in Scotland.
Ocrelizumab (Ocrevus) was given the green light by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) for treating primary progressive MS where the condition is still early in terms of duration and disability and shows evidence of inflammation.
It became the first drug to be made available on the NHS in Scotland for primary progressive MS.
Kimberley McVeigh, 32, a teacher from Johnstone who was diagnosed with relapsing MS in April 2018 said more needs to be done to raise awareness about the condition.
“I think it’s important that we keep raising awareness about MS in Scotland particularly given the high rate of the condition. Research has come on massively in recent years and the more people know the better," she said.
“That’s something I think is incredibly important, making sure people know how the condition can affect you and how varied that can be – that’s something that organisations like the MS Society are incredibly helpful for.”
She explained the before she was diagnosed she was reluctant to take time to seek medical opinion about symptoms she had.
She said: “Thinking back, before being diagnosed with MS, I used to feel ill quite often but was always a bit embarrassed about taking time to go into the doctors – putting it down to teacher’s flu, viruses and things like that.
“Then one day I woke up and was unable to feel my right leg. I continued to put it down to other little things but was finally convinced to go to the doctor after a week by friends and family.
“A year later, after a series of appointments and MRI scans I finally got the news from the doctor who simply said: ‘You’ve got MS, it’s incurable and would potentially continue to get worse.’ And that was that.
“It’s incredibly daunting, I wasn’t given much information at first and I don’t think people tend to know much about MS or, if they do, just the scarier parts of it.
“It took a few months for me to come to terms with my diagnosis. It’s not something you ever think about or consider you might have and there’s a sense that I didn’t want to admit that I had the condition. Now I’m able to accept it more and know it doesn’t stop me from achieving or living my life to the fullest potential."
“It can be incredibly hard to deal with, I’m lucky in that I have an amazing support network of family and friends but for people who aren’t in that position it must be a lot more difficult."
According to the latest Atlas of MS in 2013, the highest prevalence in Europe was 189 per 100,000 in Sweden.
And a Global Burden of Disease Study covering 1990 to 2016 published last year found that Canadian analysis indicated the highest multiple sclerosis prevalence estimates so far.
In the province of British Columbia, prevalence was 179·9 cases per 100 000 population in 2008. This close to the study's estimate for all of Canada, which fell into the band of 150–180 cases per 100,000 population.
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