Demyelinating diseases (DD) comprise a set of pathologies associated with the loss or injury of neuronal tissue. All these conditions emerge from different pathophysiological mechanisms in brain or spinal cord-specific sites. Among them, we can mention multiple sclerosis (MS), neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), optic neuritis (ON), transverse myelitis (TM), acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), chronic recurrent inflammatory optic neuropathy (CRION), and clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) (Höftberger and Lassmann, 2018; Mukharesh et al., 2021).

Noteworthy, the categorization of DD has been improved by the discovery of novel specific antibodies that facilitate the diagnosis task. For instance, the identification of aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibodies in NMOSD patients has resulted in a description of more clinical phenotypes beyond the typical case (Lennon et al., 2005; Rotstein et al., 2021). Also, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody has been associated with some seronegative cases of NMOSD and isolated, recurrent ON, brainstem syndromes, encephalitis, TM, and ADEM (Rotstein et al., 2021).

Several studies have focused on quantifying the frequency of DD in their countries. For instance, Pandit and Kundapur reported the prevalence of existing CNS demyelinating disorders in southern India. In this case, MS and CIS were the most prevalent conditions in this geographical region (Pandit and Kundapur, 2014). On the other hand, a report from Indonesia has revealed a similar pattern (Larassati et al., 2021). In this context, high-quality epidemiologic data are needed to improve our understanding of DD and promote new and better health policies to meet the needs of patients (Walton et al., 2020).

Epidemiological data on DD is scarce in Mexico due to the heterogeneity of compiling process and different paradigms. Moreover, the first studies that were performed in our country had low incidence since they were conducted before anti-AQP4 and anti-MOG antibodies could be determined. They also preceded the publication of the current diagnostic criteria for MS and NMOSD, which have greater diagnostic sensitivity, but whose impact has not been investigated in the Mexican population. Given the difficulties in understanding the current epidemiology of DD, we aimed to compile and analyze the current data on the prevalence, clinical features, and treatment profiles of DD in Mexico.