The economic repercussions of multiple sclerosis.

Following a definition and critical examination of the various concepts uti lized in health economy, the authors have made an analysis, based on a revi ew of the literature available on this subject, of the economic repercussio ns of multiple sclerosis (MS) on the different individuals and organization s involved (social services, the patient, the patient's family). They have also reported the preliminary results of a French study carried out on a sa mple population of 157 MS patients undergoing treatment at four different n eurological departments in the Nord - Pas de Calais region. (C) 2000 Editio ns scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.