The Interrelations Between Disability and Quality of Life in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis in the Area of Bajo Aragon, Spain: A Geographically Based Survey

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most disabling diseases in young people, but the interrelation between disability and quality of life is poorly understood. As indi vidual correlations between disability and the perspective of the patient may be weak in individual subjects, the purpose of our work was to analyze and correlate quality of life with neurologic impairment and disability in all patients with MS from the geo graphic area of the Bajo Aragón in the northeastern region of Spain. A total of 36 patients with a diagnosis of probable or clinically definite MS had an average age was 38.1 years (range,17-66 years). The majority of them were women (66.6%) and had relapsing remitting forms (83.3%). The Minimal Record of Disability measured neu rologic impairments, functional limitations, and handicaps. Quality of life was meas ured by the Functional Assessment of Multiple Sclerosis (FAMS) scale. Statistical analysis was performed with the Kruskal Wallis nonparametric test and Pearson's co efficient of correlation. The mean EDSS of our cohort was 2.76 (range, 0-9). The mean FAMS score was 78.6 (SD, 52.5). We found that patients moderately or severely dis abled (EDSS >3) showed a significantly decreased satisfaction in comparison with the nondisabled or mildly disabled ones. Disability and handicaps were significantly re lated to some items of FAMS: mobility, symptoms, and emotional well-being, but not with the remaining items: general contentment, thinking and fatigue, family and so cial well-being, and additional concerns. In comparison with patients from other pop ulation-based surveys, our patients were less disabled and enjoyed a better quality of life. Although we globally observed poorer quality of life in more disabled patients, the per spectives of the patients did not necessarily agree with disability scales in some domains of health. Quality of life should be included in the approach to MS patients if we want to provide cost-effective health care. © 2001, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.