Background and purpose: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one the most prevalent diseases associated with neurological and non-traumatic disability in adults. This autoimmune disease affects the central nervous system (CNS) and manifests different signs and symptoms. The prevalence of disease and age of onset varies considerably across the world. This study aimed at investigating demographic, clinical characteristics, and different risk factors in patients with MS.

Materials and methods: The study was performed on 152 MS patients from May 2013-July 2014. McDonald diagnostic criteria were used for disease diagnosis. Data was recorded and analyzed in SPSS V.17.

Results: The mean age of patients was 31.6 ± 7.3 and females were three times more likely to be afflicted with MS. Most of the female patients were married. The majority of patients had benign disease (86.4%), and positive family history of MS was found in 21.2%. Plaque lesions in MRI were seen in 94% of the patients. Sensory loss, visual impairment and depression were observed in 45.7%, 43.8%, and 9.2%, respectively. Visual impairment was the first sign of the disease that was observed in most of the patients (41.3%). Fatigue and sexual dysfunction were significantly different between relapse-remitting, primary progressive, and secondary progressive form of MS (P= 0.05 and P= 0.02, respectively). Fatigue was associated with disease progression but other symptoms were not significantly different between three forms of the disease.

Conclusion: Demographic and clinical characteristics of MS in Mazandaran province were similar to those reported from other countries. MS registry is recommended to record all MS cases in order to increase knowledge on demographic and clinical characteristics, treatment options, and patient’s response to medications. Furthermore, high familial prevalence of multiple sclerosis in Mazandaran province compared with other regions in Iran calls for further genetic analyses.