EQUITY-MS study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
EQUITY-MS: Evaluating quality of investigation and treatment of MS using data from five neurology centres
IRAS ID
351450
Contact name
Helen Ford
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Leeds
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
BTHFT 3043, BTHFT reference
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 1 days
Research summary
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system. Over 150,000 people have MS in the UK. Around 7,100 are newly diagnosed annually. Most patients with MS initially experience a pattern of relapses followed by periods of remission, which eventually progresses to continuous neurological decline. Although there is no cure for MS, new medications (‘disease modifying treatments’; DMTs) developed over the past 25 years reduce the relapse rate and slow disability progression. Earlier initiation of DMT medications reduces all-cause mortality.
This study will examine whether ‘social determinants of health’ affect timely access to MS diagnosis and treatment. Existing research has identified inequities in terms of access to treatment in England related to educational level, local area deprivation, and minoritized ethnicity. Use of volunteer databases means that it is not clear whether the findings accurately represent the size of true differences experienced by patients within a geographically defined area.
The aim of the present research is to examine whether certain groups of patients are more likely to get a timely diagnosis and access expensive high-efficacy treatment. We will use data from newly diagnosed patients between 2018 and 2024 from five clinics across England and Wales. We will examine whether patients from minoritized groups/ socioeconomically deprived areas are: (a) less likely to receive any DMT or a high-efficacy DMT; (b) experience longer diagnostic delays; and (c) are less likely to stay on DMTs once they have been prescribed. We will account for residual differences in age at diagnosis, sex/ gender, type of MS, severity, and disability at diagnosis.
The study forms part of a larger research programme funded by the Horne Family Foundation that will also use national primary care records data to examine inequities affecting patients with MS across England.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/NW/0184
Date of REC Opinion
27 Jun 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion