Nutritional status of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients attending Kasr Alainy MS unit: an exploratory cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Nutrition was claimed to be a factor in MS causation, course, complications, and management. Several studies were conducted to assess the nutritional status of MS patients; however, few studies were conducted to assess this problem in Egypt. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to assess the nutritional status of a sample of MS patients. METHODS: The researchers conducted an exploratory cross-sectional study among 76 relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients attending Kasr Alainy Multiple Sclerosis Unit (KAMSU) from October 2018 to January 2019 to assess the nutritional status of a sample of MS patients. Data were collected using a structured interview questionnaire including an inquiry about the socioeconomic status, and nutritional status using anthropometric measurements, patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA), semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires (SQFFQ), and hemoglobin level measurement. Assessment of fatigue was done using the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale 5-items version. RESULTS: The mean age of the study participants was 30 ± 6 years. The disease duration ranged from 2 to 264 months. Malnutrition was prevalent among 67.1% (27.6 % overweight, 36.8% obese, and 2.6% underweight). Half of the investigated patients were anemic. According to the PG-SGA, more than half of the studied patients (53.9%) were classified as moderately or suspected malnourished. The unhealthy dietary habits such as taking only a few meals, junk food intake and skipping breakfast were observed in considerable proportions of the group. The SQFFQ revealed overconsumption of energy and fat, and less than acceptable consumption of dietary fibers by most of the studied patients. CONCLUSIONS: Overweight, obesity, anemia, and unhealthy dietary habits were prevalent among the RRMS patients attending the KAMSU. Nutrition care service is extremely needed for this group of patients.