Expert on MS corrects minister
Consultant neurologist, Dr Raymond Murphy, said the number of MS patients is likely to be around 6,000 and not 1,800 as Mr O’Malley had stated in the Dáil.
MS is a chronic condition of the central nervous system and the cause remains unknown.
With MS a fatty substance called the myelin sheath covering the nerves in the brain and spinal cord become scarred.
The scarring occurs in scattered patches, distorting or preventing the smooth flow of messages from the brain and spinal cord to parts of the body.
According to the latest issue of the Irish Medical News Dr Murphy pointed out the figure produced by Mr O’Malley for the Dáil was misleading and showed that the sensory disability data base was inadequate.
Dr Murphy said an epidemiological survey of MS in Ireland by neurologist, Prof Michael Hutchinson, showed a prevalence of around 160 per 100,000 in Donegal and a lower incidence in Wexford.
Dr Murphy, who has written to Mr O’Malley, has pointed out that the two figures in the epidemiological study would indicate that there were about 6,000 people with MS, not 1,800.
The consultant told the minister that he hoped the position could be clarified.
