Patient-Reported Outcomes and Quality of Life Poster Presentation

LB1175 - Multiple Sclerosis patients and disease management during COVID-19 Pandemics (ID 1785)

Speakers
  • D. Ferro
Authors
  • D. Ferro
  • A. Costa
  • R. Soares-Dos-Reis
  • M. Seabra
  • M. Pinto
  • B. Martins
  • C. Sousa
  • T. Mendonça
  • J. Guimarães
  • P. Abreu
  • M. Sá
Presentation Number
LB1175
Presentation Topic
Patient-Reported Outcomes and Quality of Life

Abstract

Background

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease that encompasses lifelong symptoms and both physical and psychological disability. The COVID-19 pandemic may have changed the way patients accessed Health Care facilities, with an impact on their perceived health status and psychological well-being.

Objectives

To evaluate physical disability and psychosocial well-being since the announcement of the state of emergency, due to COVID-19 pandemic, by the Portuguese government.

Methods

We performed an online questionnaire-based study; 485 adult patients followed in our tertiary centre with the diagnosis of MS were invited to answer the survey that was accessible from April to June 2020. We analysed data regarding disability (self-reported EDSS), mental status, fatigue and sleep through scales validated for the Portuguese population: suffering thermometer, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) (answered when suffering thermometer scored more than 5), Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS-21) and Satisfaction Alerteness Timing Efficiency Duration (SATED) sleep scale.

Results

We included 195 valid questionnaires from 195 patients. Fifty-four percent had a university degree (53.8%) and approximately half of the patients were professionally active. Self-reported EDSS presented a positive correlation with last EDSS measured by the neurologist (p<0.01, R2=0.68). Median (IQR) DASS-21 was 18 (12-25), MFIS-21 was 31 (17-49) and SATED 20 (16-24). Emotional suffering was equal or greater than 5/10 in 31% during the state of emergency and in 53% at the time of survey response. A third of patients reported lower quality of sleep due to COVID-19 and higher fatigue. A quarter of patients reported more pain and 30% reported more spasticity.

Patients who had a self-reported EDSS worse than the last EDSS measured by the neurologist had significantly worse performance in MFIS (p<.001) and SATED (p=.007), while no differences were observed for DASS-21 (p=.36). Patients who said that were feeling worse since COVID-19 pandemics also had worse performance in MFIS-21 (p<.001) and SATED (p=.028), while this was not observed for DASS-21 (p=0.26).

Conclusions

We conclude that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the physical and psychological well-being of MS patients. Patients who felt more disabled scored significantly higher in fatigue and sleep quality measures. In-person follow-up is needed to confirm the patient-reported disability worsening.

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