Contributing factors to health-related quality of life in multiple sclerosis.

Tamás Biernacki,Zsigmond Tamás Kincses,Krisztina Bencsik,Judit Füvesi,Csilla Rózsa,László Vécsei,Klotild Mátyás,Dániel Sandi

doi:10.1002/brb3.1466

Abstract

BackgroundHealth‐related quality of life (HRQoL) is lower in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) compared to the healthy population, psychological symptoms accompanying multiple sclerosis (MS) have a serious impact on the HRQoL of PwMS. Data regarding the subject, however, remain conflicting.ObjectivesTo evaluate the patients' sociodemographic attributes, education, fatigue, depression, and cognitive impairment level of impact on the HRQoL for the whole cohort as well as comparing the sexes.Materials and MethodsThree hundred and twenty‐two relapse‐remitting MS patients filled out the Fatigue Impact Scale (FIS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), MS Quality of Life‐54 (MSQoL‐54) questionnaires, cognitive impairment were identified using Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS) test. The patients' data were acquired from our clinic's MS registry or from patients' files.ResultsDepression and fatigue were found to have the most ubiquitous and robust effect on the overall and any given subdivision of the HRQoL composite. Other factors had a slight effect on some of the subscales when the whole cohort was evaluated. When the genders were compared, differences were found on 10 domains.ConclusionPsychopathological symptoms have a more powerful influence on the HRQoL of MS patients than physical impairment, also these symptoms influence men's and women's HRQoL with different power. This invokes the need for complex and personalized care in the treatment of PwMS. Ours is the first study to show a difference between the sexes in this regard.

Highlights

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common debilitating, pro‐ gressive neuroinflammatory disorders
Our assess‐ ment further underlines this opinion, as we have shown that the less evaluated, yet frequently prevalent psychological burdens of the dis‐ ease are the main determinants of the self‐reported well‐being of people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS)
We have confirmed other studies' findings (Yalachkov et al, 2019), that fatigue and depression are the main determinants of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients' Health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) at disease onset, as previously shown (Nourbakhsh, Julian, & Waubant, 2016; when one would expect a patient to have a drop in their HRQoL, and become burdened with depression, after being diagnosed with a lifelong, degenerative disease), but years after the diagnosis as well

Summary

Introduction

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common debilitating, pro‐ gressive neuroinflammatory disorders. Most often affects young and middle‐aged adults in their most productive lifetime increasing the enormous financial burden of the disease (Confavreux, Aimard, & Devic, 1980; Zsiros et al, 2014) It affects patients' life in many aspects. Several studies have shown the health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) to be affected in PwMS compared with the general population. Conclusion: Psychopathological symptoms have a more powerful influence on the HRQoL of MS patients than physical impairment, these symptoms influence men's and women's HRQoL with different power. This invokes the need for complex and personalized care in the treatment of PwMS. Ours is the first study to show a difference between the sexes in this regard

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