This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Amato, M P Articles by Rossi, L Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Amato, M P Articles by Rossi, L Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Quality of life in multiple sclerosis: the impact of depression, fatigue and disability

Department of Neurology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

G Ponziani

Department of Neurology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

F Rossi

Department of Psychology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

C L Liedl

Department of Neurology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

C Stefanile

Department of Psychology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

L Rossi

Department of Psychology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

This study deals with the assessment of quality of life and its main clinical and demographical determinants in a clinical series of 103 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) (37 men; 66 women; mean age 44.89 years; mean disease duration 12.40 years; mean EDSS score 4.07). We used the MSQOL-54 inventory, a disease-specific instrument recently validated in an Italian population. Each patient underwent a complete clinical assessment, including that of disability status (Expanded Disability Status Scale), cognitive function (Mini Mental State Examination), depression (Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression) and fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale). In terms of Pearson's correlations, there was a moderate inverse relationship between disability level and the MSQOL-54 physical composite score, and a moderate to strong inverse correlation between depression or fatigue severity and both the physical and mental composite scores. In a stepwise linear regression analysis, depression, fatigue and disability level were confirmed to be significant and independent predictors of quality of life. Quality of life instruments can help to provide a broader measure of the disease impact and to develop a care program tailored to the patient's needs.

Key Words: multiple sclerosis • quality of life • depression • fatigue • disability

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R Vazirinejad, J Lilley, and C Ward A health profile of adults with multiple sclerosis living in the community Multiple Sclerosis, September 1, 2008; 14(8): 1099 - 1105. [Abstract] [PDF]

				K Wynia, B Middel, J. van Dijk, J. De Keyser, and S. Reijneveld The impact of disabilities on quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis Multiple Sclerosis, August 1, 2008; 14(7): 972 - 980. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. Kern and T. Ziemssen Review: Brain immune communication psychoneuroimmunology of multiple sclerosis Multiple Sclerosis, January 1, 2008; 14(1): 6 - 21. [Abstract] [PDF]

				K.V.L. Turpin, L.J. Carroll, J.D. Cassidy, and W.J. Hader Deterioration in the health-related quality of life of persons with multiple sclerosis: the possible warning signs Multiple Sclerosis, September 1, 2007; 13(8): 1038 - 1045. [Abstract] [PDF]

				F. Patti, C. Pozzilli, E. Montanari, A. Pappalardo, L. Piazza, A. Levi, E. Onesti, I. Pesci, and the Italian Study Group on Quality of Life in MS Effects of education level and employment status on HRQoL in early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis Multiple Sclerosis, July 1, 2007; 13(6): 783 - 791. [Abstract] [PDF]

				F. Patti, M.P. Amato, M.A. Battaglia, M. Pitaro, P. Russo, C. Solaro, and M. Trojano Caregiver quality of life in multiple sclerosis: a multicentre Italian study Multiple Sclerosis, April 1, 2007; 13(3): 412 - 419. [Abstract] [PDF]

				D C Mohr, S L Hart, L Julian, and E S Tasch Screening for depression among patients with multiple sclerosis: two questions may be enough Multiple Sclerosis, March 1, 2007; 13(2): 215 - 219. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A Bailey, S Channon, and J G Beaumont The relationship between subjective fatigue and cognitive fatigue in advanced multiple sclerosis Multiple Sclerosis, January 1, 2007; 13(1): 73 - 80. [Abstract] [PDF]

				G. T. Carter, J. J. Han, A. Mayadev, and M. D. Weiss Modafinil Reduces Fatigue in Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Type 1A: A Case Series American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, October 1, 2006; 23(5): 412 - 416. [Abstract] [PDF]

				D C Mohr, S L Hart, I Fonareva, and E S Tasch Treatment of depression for patients with multiple sclerosis in neurology clinics Multiple Sclerosis, April 1, 2006; 12(2): 204 - 208. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A Diamond and J Jankovic The effect of deep brain stimulation on quality of life in movement disorders J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, September 1, 2005; 76(9): 1188 - 1193. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. V Kalia and P. W OConnor Severity of chronic pain and its relationship to quality of life in multiple sclerosis Multiple Sclerosis, June 1, 2005; 11(3): 322 - 327. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. A.J. Visschedijk, B. M.J. Uitdehaag, M. Klein, E. van der Ploeg, E. H. Collette, L. Vleugels, L. E.M.A. Pfennings, E. L.J. Hoogervorst, H. M. van der Ploeg, and C. H. Polman Value of health-related quality of life to predict disability course in multiple sclerosis Neurology, December 14, 2004; 63(11): 2046 - 2050. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D A Gruenewald, I J Higginson, B Vivat, P Edmonds, and R E Burman Quality of life measures for the palliative care of people severely affected by multiple sclerosis: a systematic review Multiple Sclerosis, December 1, 2004; 10(6): 690 - 725. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. Romani, R. Bergamaschi, E. Candeloro, E. Alfonsi, R. Callieco, and V. Cosi Fatigue in multiple sclerosis: multidimensional assessment and response to symptomatic treatment Multiple Sclerosis, August 1, 2004; 10(4): 462 - 468. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A C. Janssens, P A van Doorn, J B de Boer, N F Kalkers, F G. van der Meche, J Passchier, and R Q Hintzen A nxiety and depression influence the relation between disability status and quality of life in multiple sclerosis Multiple Sclerosis, August 1, 2003; 9(4): 397 - 403. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. H. Paz, D. R. Globe, J. Wu, S. P. Azen, and R. Varma Relationship Between Self-reported Depression and Self-reported Visual Function in Latinos Arch Ophthalmol, July 1, 2003; 121(7): 1021 - 1027. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M W Nortvedt and T Riise The use of quality of life measures in multiple sclerosis research Multiple Sclerosis, February 1, 2003; 9(1): 63 - 72. [Abstract] [PDF]