Quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis and their caregivers in Colombia: One-year follow-up

Abstract

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease associated with neurological disability. Clinical features include motor, cerebellar, visual, and sensory function alterations, as well as psychiatric comorbidities, such as depression, anxiety, and irritability. There is little literature available on the quality of life of patients and their caregivers.Objective: To assess the quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis and their caregivers in Colombia given that there is no information on the subject in this particular population to establish comprehensive management plans.Materials and methods: We used the MusiQol and CareQol questionnaires and the Beck Depression Inventory. A prospective analytical observational protocol was designed to include patients aged 18 to 65 years with a diagnosis of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis between October, 2014, and October, 2015, at the Hospital Universitario San Ignacio. We evaluated quantitative variables and Spearman correlations. The data analysis was carried out with Student t and Mann-Whitney U tests.Results: A total of 55 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis participated in the study. Chronic fatigue was the most common comorbidity in 27%. The MusiQol questionnaire revealed a good basal quality of life, which remained at similar levels in the follow-ups at six and 12 months. Quality of life was good during the study since there were no statistically significant differences between baseline and follow-up MusiQol scores. Good quality of life was also observed in caregivers.Conclusions: The quality of life of several Colombian patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis was very good. This positive result was also observed in caregivers as evidenced by the results of the CareQol questionnaire. We also observed and indicated an inversely proportional correlation between the Expanded Disability Status Scale and the quality of life indexes.

The Role of Stress Perception and Coping with Stress and the Quality of Life Among Multiple Sclerosis Patients

“…The overall quality of life index in the study group averaged 65.39 points out of 100 (MusiQol) and is similar to the results obtained by Farran et al and Nickel et al 77 In contrast, Beltrán et al 78 reported a significantly higher score (84.1), and this difference may be since the participants in the Colombia study were characterized by good functional status (low EDDS scores) and short disease duration (average 4.8 years). In our study, the highest self-rated quality of life concerned RFa (81.37), RFr (69.83), and REJ (69.04) domains.…”

Sleep Disturbances, Degree of Disability and the Quality of Life in Multiple Sclerosis Patients

“…Analysis of the study material showed that the QoL of the respondents was at an average level (50.73), which is consistent with the findings of Jamróz–Wisniewska et al [ 47 ]. However, other studies [ 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 ] indicate a significantly higher QoL among MS patients as measured by MusiQoL. In our study, the highest self–rated QoL concerned REJ (72.33), which is consistent with the findings of Beiske et al [ 69 ] and Nickel et al [ 67 ].…”

Sobrecarga del cuidador de personas en diálisis y el significado de participar en un grupo de apoyo: estudio con metodología mixta

“…De igual manera este ambiente positivo de aprendizaje propicia el bienestar emocional, a través del compartir conocimientos, experiencias en el cuidado, información actualizada, manejo de diversas problemáticas de salud comunes, mejorar la autoconfianza, disminuir la incertidumbre, el estrés 25 , y ayuda en el proceso de afrontamiento, disminución de la carga y finalmente a fortalecer su calidad de vida 26 , permitiéndoles a través de su reencuentro en el cuidado, proponer nuevos planes con elementos importantes para la práctica de los equipos interdisciplinarios en la atención de las personas con enfermedad crónica y sus familias 27 .…”