Predicting improvement of quality of life and mental health over 18-months in multiple sclerosis patients

Abstract

Background

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that can negatively affect functioning across a wide spectrum of domains. This study aims to investigate the development of mental health and quality of life in MS patients over 18-months and to identify predictive factors.

Method

314 MS outpatients of Virgen Macarena University Hospital in Sevilla/Spain (mean age 45 years, 67.8% women, on average 12.1 years since diagnosis) participated in the study. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and mental health were assessed by the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) and the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) twice over an 18-months follow up period.

Results

HRQOL and mental health significantly improved in almost all domains, except for a worsening of vitality. Mental and physical HRQOL improved by a large effect size. Binomial logistic regression models showed that disability status (Expanded Disability Status Scale) predicted both components of HRQOL and age the physical component of HRQOL. Sex, educational level, and disease duration predicted mental health.

Conclusions

Our findings confirm the possibility of a significant large-sized improvement of HRQOL in the course of 18-months even 12 years after MS diagnosis on average. The study showed the importance of sociodemographic as well as clinical variables to predict HRQOL and mental health. Further longitudinal research is needed to better understand their impact on patients' outcomes.