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Quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients in Spain

Center on Outcomes, Research and Education, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, Evanston, Illinois, USA, Institute for Health Services Research and Policy Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA, chchang{at}northwestern.edu

D Cella

Center on Outcomes, Research and Education, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, Evanston, Illinois, USA, Institute for Health Services Research and Policy Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA

O Fernández

Department of Neurology, Complejo Hospitalario Carlos Haya, Málaga, Spain

G Luque

Department of Neurology, Complejo Hospitalario Carlos Haya, Málaga, Spain

P de Castro

Department of Neurology, Clínica Universitaria de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain

C de Andrés

Department of Neurology, Hospital Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain

B Casanova

Department of Neurology, Hospital La Fé, Valencia, Spain

M A Hernández

Department of Neurology, Hospital Ntra Sra de la Candelaria, Tenerife, Spain

J M Prieto

Department of Neurology, Hospital Clínic, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

V E Fernández

Department of Neurology, Complejo Hospitalario Carlos Haya, Málaga, Spain

E de Ramón

Research Unit, Complejo Hospitalario Carlos Haya, Málaga, Spain

Grupo Español de Calidad de Vida en Esclerosis Múltiple

Objective: The cross-sectional study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Functional Assessment of Multiple Sclerosis (FAMS) Spanish version and its use in measuring quality of life (QOL) of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in Spain. Methods: The FAMS is a factorially derived self-report scale designed to assess six primary aspects of QOL of patients with MS: Mobility, Symptoms, Emotional Well-Being, General Contentment, Thinking and Fatigue, and Family/Social Well-Being. Its Spanish translated version was used to assess QOL of 625 MS patients recruited in an outpatient clinic setting from 58 hospitals in Spain. Internal consistency of the Spanish FAMS was evaluated. Multiple regression analyses were performed to identify significant predictors from demographic, clinical and treatment characteristics, and Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores in predicting FAMS scale scores. Results: Most of the patients are females (66%), and 74% were of the relapsing-remitting (RR) clinical subtype. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were high (range=0.78-0.96), indicating subscale homogeneity comparable to that of the original English version. Linear multivariate regression analyses revealed that the EDSS is a dominant variable in predicting all the FAMS subscales, especially mobility (R²=0.51) and the total scores. Conclusions: The Spanish FAMS is a psychometrically valid instrument that allows clinicians and clinical researchers the ability to measure the QOL concerns of MS patients in Spain.

Key Words: EDSS • FAMS • multiple sclerosis • quality of life

Multiple Sclerosis, Vol. 8, No. 6, 527-531 (2002)
DOI: 10.1191/1352458502ms851oa


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