Abstract
Despite recent advances in immune-modulatory drugs, pharmacological therapies have been proven ineffective in severe presentations of multiple sclerosis (MS), including secondary progressive MS. At present, therapeutic interventions’ performance is primarily focused on ameliorating symptoms to improve the patient’s quality of life (QOL). Among complementary treatments, nutrition has been considered a decisive factor to control symptoms and enhance the wellness of MS patients. Although no special diets are associated with MS, the impact of diet and dietary supplements on the course of progressive forms of the disease has been studied during the last few years. Fatigue is among the most common and disabling symptoms reported by MS patients. Fatigue has been defined in the Multiple Sclerosis Council for Clinical Practice Guidelines (MSCCPG, 1998) as a “subjective lack of physical and/or mental energy that the individual perceives as an interference with habitual and desired activities”. This study aimed to compare the psychometric functioning of the “Fatigue Severity Scale” (FSS) and the “Modified Fatigue Impact Scale” (MFIS) in our sample of people with MS. Specifically, during chronic treatment, the change in these two parameters with two vitamin-rich dietary supplements (Citozym® and Ergozym®) was evaluated. The impact of these nutritional supplements revealed differences in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory parameters among the volunteers in the treatment group, with a subsequent improvement in fatigue. In conclusion, the results obtained have confirmed the effectiveness of complementary nutritional therapies, evaluated essentially based on hematological biomarkers, through which it is possible to act on disability to improve the QOL of MS patients.
Highlights
Multiple sclerosis (MS) and acute disseminated encephalitis, acute necrotic hemorrhagic encephalitis, and myelinopathy represent a set of diseases characterized by demyelination areas in the central nervous system, with an inflammatory response and a consequent neurological course of great importance, leading to severe disability [1]
The p-value calculated for each anthropometric variable indicated that there were no differences in the general characteristics of the participants observed at baseline between the supplemented and placebo groups (Table 1)
A vitamin D deficiency is associated with the progression of long-term disability, while the increase in its serum level reduced brain lesions and improved timed tandem walking [25,26], high levels of vitamin D, and a diet low in saturated fat are associated with lower relapse rates in pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis [27], with a higher physical and mental quality of life (QOL) [28]
Summary
Multiple sclerosis (MS) and acute disseminated encephalitis, acute necrotic hemorrhagic encephalitis, and myelinopathy represent a set of diseases characterized by demyelination areas in the central nervous system, with an inflammatory response and a consequent neurological course of great importance, leading to severe disability [1]. Myelin destruction plays the primary role in disability in MS patients, and myelin sheaths are highly sensitive to OS [3,4]. No effective clinical indications for applying dietary supplements as a complementary treatment against MS symptoms are available. Despite the current therapies aimed at improving the disease, poor QOL in MS patients remains a significant problem, and fatigue is one of the common and disabling symptoms [6]. Primary fatigue’s pathophysiology remains unknown, but undoubtedly, inflammation-related OS and immunologic factors play a central role. The treatment of this symptom to improve the QOL presently remains a challenge
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