Senior onderzoeker Huisartsenzorg
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Response to critical appraisal of patient selection methods in MS prevalence studies.
Lemmens, C.M.C., Vanhommerig, J.W., Knottnerus, B.J., Mostert, J.P., Jong, B.A. de. Response to critical appraisal of patient selection methods in MS prevalence studies. Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders: 2025, 97, art. nr. 106404.
We thank Öztürk et al. for their valuable comments on the patient selection in our epidemiological study on the prevalence of MS in the Netherlands.(Lemmens et al., 2025; Öztürk and Kürtüncü, 2025) Their commentary highlights important methodological considerations, particularly concerning the balance between sensitivity and specificity in disease prevalence estimation and the implications of selecting a single versus multiple diagnostic codes as a criterion for a confirmed MS diagnosis. While their concerns regarding the potential risk of overestimation due to reliance on a single diagnostic code are reasonable, several factors support the validity of our methodology and its suitability for the Dutch healthcare system.
We thank Öztürk et al. for their valuable comments on the patient selection in our epidemiological study on the prevalence of MS in the Netherlands.(Lemmens et al., 2025; Öztürk and Kürtüncü, 2025) Their commentary highlights important methodological considerations, particularly concerning the balance between sensitivity and specificity in disease prevalence estimation and the implications of selecting a single versus multiple diagnostic codes as a criterion for a confirmed MS diagnosis. While their concerns regarding the potential risk of overestimation due to reliance on a single diagnostic code are reasonable, several factors support the validity of our methodology and its suitability for the Dutch healthcare system.
