Dr Mitzi Joi Williams: We Need More Education on MS Presentation in Minority Populations

Mitzi Joi Williams, MD, FAAN, medical director and CEO, Joi Life Wellness Neurology Clinic, in an interview from this year’s American Academy of Neurology annual meeting, addresses several reasons that have potential to delay a correct multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis in minority patient populations, including social determinants of health (SDOH).

Transcript

Beyond SDOH, what might lead to a delayed MS diagnosis in minority and underserved patient populations?

I think that the biggest reason that we may see delay in diagnosis is social determinants of health. But I think also, there needs to be more education amongst the general medical community. When most of us came through training, we thought of MS as a disease of young white European women or women of European descent, and so because the symptoms of MS can mimic many other conditions—they often may resolve after a couple of weeks—it's important for people to think about MS in these populations and to recognize that anyone can get MS. And just like it may be high on the list for a young White woman presenting with certain symptoms, it should also be high on the list for people of Black and African American, as well as Hispanic and Latinx, descent.