Oct 1, 2002
FaxWatch Inc.
Among MS patients, depression, anxiety and poor cognitive functioning
make it more difficult for those individuals to have a good quality of
life, according to new research.
Investigators examined 209 MS patients using several instruments that measure quality of life, emotional state and cognitive function. Three disease-related characteristics were assessed: physical disability, duration of disease and clinical course of MS.
Findings showed that each of the three characteristics affected at least one dimension of quality of life and some mental functioning.
Consequently, the more severe, the more progressive and the longer MS lasted, the lower the quality of life was for MS patients.
Furthermore, average cognitive scores decreased and the average emotional scores increased with greater illness severity.
The study appears in the September issue of the European Journal of
Neurology.
© FaxWatch 2002