• M A Hernández, S Mora, and grupo de trabajo del Estudio SLIMS.
• Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife, España. mhernandezp78@hotmail.com
• Neurologia. 2013 Jul 1; 28 (6): 340-7.

IntroductionSymptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) are associated with significant and progressive functional disability and have a profound impact on patients' quality of life (QoL). QoL and daily life activities are two areas that suffer major changes during the course of MS and there are currently no questionnaires specifically designed to evaluate these areas in MS patients.PurposeTo evaluate QoL of MS patients using the PRIMUS questionnaire and determine the possible relationship between QoL, duration of disease, and disability measured on the EDSS.Patients And MethodsMulti-centre epidemiological and cross-sectional study including 261 patients with relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) or secondary progressive MS (SPMS) treated with interferon beta-1b for at least 6 months. The validated version of the PRIMUS questionnaire was used for patient reporting of changes in QoL and life activities.ResultsMean age of patients was 41.7±10.3 years; 61.3% were women. Most had RRMS (83.9%). Mean time since MS diagnosis was 7.6±5.8 years, and longer in the SPMS group (11.2±7.4 vs 6.9±5.2, P<.0001). Mean EDSS score was 2.6±1.75 (5.1±1.3 in SPMS vs 2.1±1.4 in RRMS, P<.0001). Mean time since start of treatment was 5.5±3.8 years. The PRIMUS QoL component was higher in the RRMS group: 18.3±6.8 vs 9.9±7.1 (P<.0001); it also decreased with increases in both time since diagnosis (P<.01) and disability scores (from 18.8±6.6 in early stages [EDSS<3.5] to 8.4±6.3 in advanced stages [EDSS>5], P<.0001). The PRIMUS activity limitations component followed the same pattern: activity became more limited with increases in time since diagnosis (P<.0001) and overall disability (P<.0001).ConclusionsQoL in MS patients varies according to the disease type, and it worsens progressively over time and with increasing disability. The PRIMUS questionnaire is a good tool for assessing QoL and activity in patients with MS.Copyright © 2012 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

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