Study Assesses the Quality of Life and Unmet Needs of Geriatric and Advanced MS Patients

A study performed by members of the Medical College of Wisconsin analyzed quality of life (QOL) and rates of depression of patients with advanced multiple sclerosis (A-MS) and geriatric MS (G-MS) compared with younger patients with MS who were fully independent. In this study presented at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC), A-MS included those who were not fully independent and with an Expanded Disability Status score of 7 or higher, and G-MS included those aged 65 y or older. QOL mental composite scores were higher for patients with G-MS than MS controls (P=.0193), and lower for patients with A-MS than MS controls (P=.0184). No significant difference in the 9 item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) depression scale scores was observed across the groups. Furthermore, perception of symptom reporting (developed by Medical College of Wisconsin) correlated with PHQ-9 scores for A-MS (R²=0.29), G-MS (R²=0.28), and control (R²=0.28) groups, and with QOL scores for A-MS (R²=0.75), G-MS (R²=0.74), and control (R²=0.62) groups.

All patients were recruited from the MS clinic at the Medical College of Wisconsin. The study included 8 patients with G-MS, 8 patients with A-MS, and a randomized control of 21 patients with MS younger than 65 years and fully independent. In terms of unmet needs, researchers asked an open-ended question and reported that those with G-MS cited cure/restoring function, holistic/integrative care, and worry about the unknown as concerns whereas those with A-MS made note of concerns about cure/restoring function, accessibility/cost, and family support/education.

Patients with A-MS and G-MS are often excluded from clinical trials. As such, the study authors plan to continue their research to further elucidate the findings of the present study and to advocate for the inclusion of A-MS and G-MS patients in MS clinical trials.