RESUMEN
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory autoimmune demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system, leading to progressive functional impairments. Predicting disease progression with a probabilistic and time-dependent approach might help suggest interventions for a better management of the disease. Recently, there has been increasing focus on the impact of air pollutants as environmental factors influencing disease progression. This study employs a Continuous-Time Markov Model (CMM) to explore the impact of air pollution measurements on MS progression using longitudinal data from MS patients in Italy between 2013 and 2022. Preliminary findings indicate a relationship between air pollution and MS progression, with pollutants like Particulate Matter with a diameter of 10 micrometers (PM10) or 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), and Carbon Monoxide (CO) showing potential effects on disease activity.