Summary Summary Short summary of a recent publication, written by scientific experts. Published: 17 Apr 2023

Patient-reported outcomes and disease burden in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis

  • A study of 65 people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) investigated whether patient-reported outcomes (PROs) show good agreement with disease burden scores.
  • The physical subscores of several PRO scales (Fatigue Scale Motor Cognition, Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale version 2, and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey version 2) significantly correlated with physical rating scales and physical measures of extremity function. However, the psychologic subscores of these PRO scales did not significantly correlate with cognitive test results or fatigue, physical, or imaging outcomes.
  • These findings support the use of PRO physical subscores as outcome measures in SPMS, but psychologic subscores should be a used as a measure of quality of life independent of disease burden, conclude the study authors.