Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the chronic demyelinating diseases of the nervous system that leads to a wide spectrum of clinical symptoms and significantly affects the quality of life (QoL). Objective: This study evaluated the role of depression, functional status, level of self-care, and other socio-demographic and clinical factors in patients with MS. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 349 patients with MS. This study employed a questionnaire designed by the authors to capture socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, along with the following standardized instruments: the Activities of Daily Living questionnaire, the Expanded Disability Status Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the MS QoL Questionnaire-54. Results: Using regression analysis, we found that the most important factors influencing physical QoL included age (p<0.01), occupation (p<0.01), and educational attainment (p<0.001). Among the clinical variables, the following were significantly associated with the QoL: functional ability (p<0.001), level of self-care (p<0.001), presence of depressive symptomatology (p<0.001), presence of relapses (p<0.001), and type of MS (p<0.001). The most important factors that were associated with psychological QoL included educational attainment (p<0.001), functional ability (p<0.001), level of self-care (p<0.05), presence of depressive symptomatology (p<0.001), presence of relapses (p<0.05), and progressive form of the disease (p<0.001). Conclusion: Since the course of MS varies and is sometimes unpredictable, it is crucial to monitor the factors associated with the QoL of these patients and to conduct the necessary interventions to improve it.
Majerníková et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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