Research from IJMSC October 2024

Here's the latest multidisciplinary multiple sclerosis (MS) research from the International Journal of MS Care.

According to this report, the Finnish MS Register, established in 2014, now covers a majority of individuals with MS in Finland and is being integrated into clinical practice following national guidelines. It includes patient-reported outcome measures through its e-health platform, MyMS, which allows patients to report symptoms and quality of life metrics. This integration supports patient-centered care and shared decision-making by enabling health care providers to compare patient self-reports with clinician assessments.

People with progressive MS reported more severe overall fatigue compared to those with relapsing-remitting MS, especially in physical and psychosocial aspects. However, cognitive fatigue levels were similar in both groups and generally mild. The Fatigue Symptoms and Impacts Questionnaire showed strong validity in capturing physical, cognitive, and coping impacts, highlighting the need to assess different fatigue dimensions separately. While physical fatigue was linked to perceived limitations in physical performance, this did not consistently correlate with improvements from exercise, indicating the complexity of fatigue in MS.

This pilot study on bladder dysfunction (BD) in individuals with MS emphasized the importance of including patient and clinician input when selecting monitoring devices. There were significant differences in perspectives; patients preferred comfort and ease of use, while clinicians focused on technical features, highlighting the need for collaborative decision-making. A consensus was reached on a 5-day monthly monitoring period to balance data collection with patient comfort. Future research will involve validating the WeB kit's effectiveness and exploring its integration into therapeutic interventions like pelvic floor physical therapy.

This study from Duke University Hospital identified UTIs as the most common reason for hospital admission among individuals with MS. The second leading reason was neurologic symptoms without a clear cause, particularly among patients with progressive MS types (SPMS or PPMS). Nearly half of the admitted patients were not on any DMTs, suggesting untreated MS could contribute to higher hospitalization rates.

Come back next month for more research from the IJMSC community or check out our website for the latest at any time.