The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on quality of life: A survey of mildly disabled multiple sclerosis patients

Abstract

Background: Almost everyone’s health-related quality of life (HQoL) can be affected by a huge health problem like the COVID-19 pandemic. Aims: We assessed the short-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HQoL in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in Tabriz, Islamic Republic of Iran. Methods: A printed version of the MS-specific HQoL questionnaire was completed by patients at the neurology depart-ment at the university hospital in Tabriz and the scores before and during the pandemic (2019 and 2020) were compared. Results: We recruited 50 patients for this study. Although the overall physical (69.29 + SD 16.59, to 68.40 + SD 20.95) and mental health (67.36 + SD 19.02 to 66.76 + SD 22.70) composite scores decreased slightly in the second stage, however, this change was not statistically significant (P = 0.67, P = 0.83). The severity of MS was associated with changes in mental and physical health composites. Conclusions: The effect of the pandemic on the HQoL of mildly disabled MS patients was not statistically significant.