Quality of life in adults with multiple sclerosis: a systematic review

Abstract

ObjectiveIn recent years, quality of life (QoL) in multiple sclerosis (MS) has been gaining considerable importance in clinical research and practice. Against this backdrop, this systematic review aimed to provide a broad overview of clinical, sociodemographic and psychosocial risk and protective factors for QoL in adults with MS and analyse psychological interventions for improving QoL.MethodThe literature search was conducted in the Scopus, Web of Science and ProQuest electronic databases. Document type was limited to articles written in English, published from January 1, 2014, to January 31, 2019. Information from the selected articles was extracted using a coding sheet and then qualitatively synthesised.ResultsThe search identified 4886 records. After duplicate removal and screening, 106 articles met the inclusion and exclusion criteria for qualitative synthesis and were assessed for study quality. Disability, fatigue, depression, cognitive impairment and unemployment were consistently identified as QoL risk factors, whereas higher self-esteem, self-efficacy, resilience and social support proved to be protective. The review analysed a wide spectrum of approaches for QoL psychological intervention, such as mindfulness, cognitive behavioural therapy, self-help groups and self-management. The majority of interventions were successful in improving various aspects of QoL.ConclusionAdequate biopsychosocial assessment is of vital importance to treat risk and promote protective factors to improve QoL in patients with MS in general care practice.

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

“…One of the factors that play a primary role in the quality of life is stress. 18 Based on the probably first definition proposed by Hans Selye, stress is a non-specific response of the body to any demand. 19 , 20 Cohen et al 21 defined stress as a process in which environmental factors strain an organism’s adaptive capacity resulting in both psychological demands and biological changes.…”

The Effect of Depression on Health-Related Quality of Life Is Mediated by Fatigue in Persons with Multiple Sclerosis

“…Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is considerably reduced in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) compared with both the general population and populations with other chronic diseases [1][2][3]. Previous research identified various clinical (e.g., fatigue, disability status, disease duration, progressive MS course and relapses in the last 3 months), sociodemographic (e.g., employment, sex, age, education and socioeconomic status) and psychological risk factors (e.g., depression, anxiety and perceived stress) that contribute to the impaired HRQoL in PwMS [2][3][4][5][6].…”

“…Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is considerably reduced in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) compared with both the general population and populations with other chronic diseases [1][2][3]. Previous research identified various clinical (e.g., fatigue, disability status, disease duration, progressive MS course and relapses in the last 3 months), sociodemographic (e.g., employment, sex, age, education and socioeconomic status) and psychological risk factors (e.g., depression, anxiety and perceived stress) that contribute to the impaired HRQoL in PwMS [2][3][4][5][6]. In this context, the negative impact on PwMS's HRQoL by the two common and troublesome conditions of fatigue (affecting up to 93% at some point during the course of the disease [7][8][9][10]) and depression (lifetime prevalence 20-50% [11][12][13][14][15]) has been demonstrated in various cross-sectional studies [16][17][18][19][20][21][22] and also in a few longitudinal studies [23,24].…”

Is there an association between multiple sclerosis and osteoarthritis in Germany? A retrospective cohort study of 8,600 patients from Germany

“…2 In this context, long-term quality of life has become one of the most important aspects of the management of people with multiple sclerosis. 4 Several chronic physical conditions are known to negatively affect quality of life, and one of these conditions is osteoarthritis. 5 Osteoarthritis is a common disorder of the joints characterized by several pathological changes such as degradation of the articular cartilage, synovial inflammation and osteophyte formation.…”