Idade, disfunção motora e sintomas neuropsiquiátricos impactam a qualidade de vida na esclerose múltipla

Abstract

Neurological diseases affect several body functions. They are responsible for impacting patients' functionality, independence and quality of life. Among all neurological diseases, multiple sclerosis (MS) stands out responsible for causing motor, cognitive and neuropsychiatric disorders. The aim of this dissertation was to investigate the impact of age, motor dysfunction and neuropsychiatric symptoms on the quality of life of people with MS compared to healthy peers. One hundred and forty-one participants (70 with MS and 71 control pairs) were tested in a single assessment session. The predictors were composed of general questionnaires applied to both groups and specific instruments restricted to MS. Age, motor dysfunction, and neuropsychiatric symptoms were used as predictors, and quality of life was used as an outcome. Multiple regression models (R2) were applied to assess the relationships between predictors and outcomes. The results pointed a decline in quality of life in individuals with MS compared to controls. Age, disease severity and neuropsychiatric symptoms affected 56.3% of quality of life in individuals with MS. In the control group, age and neuropsychiatric symptoms explained 36.6% of the variance in such outcome. Age was more strongly related to quality of life in MS than controls (R2=19.9% vs R2=2.9%), and neuropsychiatric symptoms affected both groups similarly (38.8% for MS and 36.5% for controls). Disease severity explained 22.4% of the quality of life variability in MS. In conclusion, the study dissertation identified important predictors that affect quality of life in patients with MS.