Ludmila Majerníková, Andrea Obrocníková
Eurasian Journal of Medicine and Oncology - 2025;9(4):258-267
Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the chronic demyelinating diseases of the nervous system that leads to a wide spectrum of clinical symptoms and significantly affects the quality of life (QoL). Objective: This study evaluated the role of depression, functional status, level of self-care, and other socio-demo graph ic and clinical factors in patients with MS. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 349 patients with MS. This study employed a questionnaire designed by the authors to capture socio-demo graph ic and clinical characteristics, along with the following standardized instruments: the Activities of Daily Living questionnaire, the Expanded Disability Status Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the MS QoL Questionnaire-54. Results: Using regression analysis, we found that the most important factors influencing physical QoL included age ( p<0.01), occupation ( p<0.01), and educational attainment ( p<0.001). Among the clinical variables, the following were significantly associated with the QoL: functional ability ( p<0.001), level of self-care ( p<0.001), presence of depressive symptomatology ( p<0.001), presence of relapses ( p<0.001), and type of MS ( p<0.001). The most important factors that were associated with psychological QoL included educational attainment ( p<0.001), functional ability ( p<0.001), level of self-care ( p<0.05), presence of depressive symptomatology ( p<0.001), presence of relapses ( p<0.05), and progressive form of the disease ( p<0.001). Conclusion: Since the course of MS varies and is sometimes unpredic table , it is crucial to monitor the factors associated with the QoL of these patients and to conduct the necessary interventions to improve it.
