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A longitudinal study on effects of a six-week course for energy conservation for multiple sclerosis patients

¹ University Clinic of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria and Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité – University Medicine Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin,Germany
² University Clinic of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
³ Fonds Soziales Wien, Vienna, Austria

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

	Abstract

Objective Fatigue management and energy conservation are effective strategies to minimize fatiguein multiple sclerosis (MS). Sustained results have not yet been reported.Methods A fatigue management course was provided for 32 MS patients. They were tested prior to,directly after participation in the course and in a 7–9 month follow-up with the Fatigue Severity Scale,the MS-specific Fatigue Scale, the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), the Pittsburgh Sleep QualityIndex and a self-rating scale for depression. The Expanded Disability Status Score (EDSS) and the MSfunctional composite (MSFC) were evaluated before and after participation in the course.Results The total score and the Cognitive and Physical subscores of the MFIS showed significantimprovements on both points of time. Scores in the Fatigue Severity Scale, MS-specific Fatigue Scaleand Psychosocial Fatigue Impact Scale did not improve significantly. MS functional composite andEDSS remained unchanged after six weeks of course participation. Subjective sleep quality improveddirectly after participation in the course and after 7–9 months. The depression score decreasedsignificantly to a normal level at the end of training and in the 7–9 month follow-up.Conclusion Fatigue management enables MS patients to cope with their fatigue and energy moreeffectively. Follow-up evaluations showed stable results after 7–9 months

Key Words: autoimmune; connective tissue; Ehlers–Danlos syndrome; extracellular matrix; depression; fatigue management; multiple sclerosis; sleep quality

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