Burden and cost of multiple sclerosis in Brazil

The objective of this study was to estimate costs to society and patients' quality of life (QoL) at all levels of disease severity (measured with the Expanded Disability Status Scale, EDSS) in Brazil. The study was part of an international, cross-sectional burden-of-illness study carried out in collaboration with national MS patient organizations. All information was collected directly from patients using a validated questionnaire. Direct costs were estimated both from societal and payer perspectives, while total costs are presented as societal costs. The survey included 694 patients (response rate 21%; mean age 40.8 years). 95% of patients were of working age, and around half were working. The mean EDSS score was 3.2 (62.5% of patients with EDSS