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Cumulative impact of comorbidity on quality of life in MS
Author(s) -
Marrie R. A.,
Horwitz R.,
Cutter G.,
Tyry T.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
acta neurologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.967
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1600-0404
pISSN - 0001-6314
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0404.2011.01526.x
Subject(s) - comorbidity , medicine , confounding , quality of life (healthcare) , national comorbidity survey , physical therapy , nursing
Marrie RA, Horwitz R, Cutter G, Tyry T. Cumulative Impact of Comorbidity on Quality of Life in MS.
Acta Neurol Scand: 2012: 125: 180–186.
© 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Background – Little is known about the impact of comorbidity on health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) in multiple sclerosis (MS). We investigated the association of comorbidity and health‐related HRQOL among participants in the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS). Materials and Methods – In 2006, we queried NARCOMS participants regarding physical and mental comorbidities and HRQOL, using the Short‐Form 12. We summarized physical HRQOL using the aggregate Physical Component Scale (PCS‐12) score and mental HRQOL using the aggregate Mental Component Scale (MCS‐12) score. We assessed multivariable associations between comorbidity and HRQOL using a general linear model, adjusting for potential confounders. Results – Among 8983 respondents, the mean (SD) PCS‐12 was 36.9 (11.8) and MCS‐12 was 45.6 (11.6). After adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical factors, participants with any physical comorbidity had a lower PCS‐12 (37.2; 95% CI: 36.4–38.1) than those without any physical comorbidity (40.1; 95% CI: 39.0–41.1). As the number of physical comorbidities increased, PCS‐12 scores decreased ( r = −0.25; 95% CI: −0.23 to −0.27) indicating lower reported HRQOL. Participants with any mental comorbidity had a lower MCS‐12 (40.7; 95% CI: 39.8–41.6) than those without any mental comorbidity (48.5; 95% CI: 47.7–49.4). Conclusions – Comorbidity is associated with reduced HRQOL in MS. Further research should evaluate whether more aggressive treatment of comorbidities improves the HRQOL of MS patients.