Quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis and their caregivers in Colombia: One-year follow-up

INTRODUCTION: Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease associated with neurological disability. Clinical features include motor, cerebellar, visual, and sensory function alterations, as well as psychiatric comorbidities, such as depression, anxiety, and irritability. There is little literature available on the quality of life of patients and their caregivers. OBJECTIVE: To assess the quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis and their caregivers in Colombia given that there is no information on the subject in this particular population to establish comprehensive management plans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used the MusiQol and CareQol questionnaires and the Beck Depression Inventory. A prospective analytical observational protocol was designed to include patients aged 18 to 65 years with a diagnosis of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis between October, 2014, and October, 2015, at the Hospital Universitario San Ignacio. We evaluated quantitative variables and Spearman correlations. The data analysis was carried out with Student t and Mann-Whitney U tests. RESULTS: A total of 55 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis participated in the study. Chronic fatigue was the most common comorbidity in 27%. The MusiQol questionnaire revealed a good basal quality of life, which remained at similar levels in the follow-ups at six and 12 months. Quality of life was good during the study since there were no statistically significant differences between baseline and follow-up MusiQol scores. Good quality of life was also observed in caregivers. CONCLUSIONS: The quality of life of several Colombian patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis was very good. This positive result was also observed in caregivers as evidenced by the results of the CareQol questionnaire. We also observed and indicated an inversely proportional correlation between the Expanded Disability Status Scale and the quality of life indexes.