Introduction:

multiple sclerosis is a demyelinating, degenerative, chronic, autoimmune and inflammatory disease that affects the central nervous system. This condition is the leading cause of neurological disability in young adults.

Objective:

to characterize patients with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis admitted to the Neurology service at "Arnaldo Milián Castro" Clinical and Surgical University Hospital.

Methods:

a descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out in patients with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis admitted to the Neurology Service at "Arnaldo Milián Castro" Clinical and Surgical University Hospital, Santa Clara, Villa Clara, from January 2018 to December 2019; the study population consisted of 30 patients.

Results:

the average age at debut was 38.7 years. The ratio between patients with white and non-white skin color was 9: 1, and that of women and men was 14: 1. Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis accounted for 70%, and the minimum degree of disability for 60%. The 48.27%, 41.37% and 37.93% of the patients had supratentorial and infratentorial lesions and two to four in number, respectively.

Conclusions:

female gender predominated with the age at debut between 20 to 29 years. Motor, sensory and cerebellar alterations were the most common symptoms. Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis was the predominant clinical presentation and minimal degree of disability. Supratentorial and infratentorial lesions and the number of lesions in number two to four were the most frequent; most of the cases had a change in intensity of the corpus callosum.