Browsing by Author "Dujmovic Basuroski, Irena (6701590899)"

Bladder dysfunction (BD) is the most common autonomic disturbance in multiple sclerosis, but often overlooked and undertreated. The purpose of this longitudinal study was to explore the changes in the frequency of BD symptoms in MS cohort after a period of 3 and 6 years of follow-up, as well as to investigate the correlations between the presence of BD symptoms and both clinical characteristics and the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) at each subsequent point of estimation. The study population comprises a cohort of 93 patients with MS (McDonald’s criteria, 2001). At each time point (baseline, and at the 3- and 6-year follow-up) of estimation, Expanded Disability Status Scale, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Fatigue Severity Scale, Szasz Sexual Functioning Scale and HRQoL (measured by MSQoL-54) were assessed. The proportion of patients with at least one symptom of BD significantly increased over time, for both men and women (from 48.1% at baseline to 51.9% after 3 years and to 71.4% after 6 years of follow-up for males and from 45.5% at baseline to 50.0% after 3 years and to 66.7% after 6 years of follow-up for females). The most common BD problem was urgency of urination. The presence of BD was statistically significantly associated with higher level of physical disability, sexual dysfunction and HRQoL at each point of follow-up, for both men and women. Our results suggested outstanding frequency of BD in patients with MS, with increasing tendency over time. © 2017, Belgian Neurological Society.

Objective To assess the impact of interferon (IFN)-beta treatment on the progression of unremitting disability in IFN-beta treated and untreated relapsing-remitting (RR) patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) using prospective cohort study. Methods A cohort of 419 RRMS (236 IFN-beta-treated and 183 untreated) patients was followed for up to 7 years. Cox proportional hazards regression models adjusted for the number of relapses in the last year before first visit was used to assess the differences between the two groups for the three end points: secondary progression (SP), and sustained Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score 4 and 6. Time from disease onset was used as survival time variable. Results The IFN-beta-treated group showed a highly significant reduction (hazard ratio [HR], 0.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.19-0.61, p < 0.001) in the risk of SP when compared with untreated patients. There were significant differences in favor of the IFN-beta-treated group for the end point EDSS score of 4 (HR = 0.45, 95%CI 0.28-0.73, p = 0.001) and EDSS score of 6 (HR = 0.34, 95%CI 0.16-0.75, p = 0.007). Conclusion This observational study further supports the notion that IFN-beta could have potential beneficial effect on disease progression in RRMS. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.