Here is a summary of the research we have been involved in over the past 12 months:
Barriers and strategies to medication adherence amongst people with multiple sclerosis and cognitive problems
This study investigated the adherence to disease modifying treatment (DMT) amongst people with Multiple sclerosis, and to identify the prevalence of issues with adherence. The researchers had found that of the 257 surveyed, 94% reported adherent to their DMT treatment, however 59% reporting missing at least 1 dose, and 25% reported cognitive problems. Adherence was found to be lower amongst those with cognitive problems, with barriers such as memory problems, negative feelings about taking medication, and not wanting medication to interfere with activities. The study suggested that future interventions should consider addressing both mood and cognitive factors, minimising the treatment burden and supporting adjustment to diagnosis may improve the adherence rate.
What this means: Although many surveyed reported that DMT treatments were being adhered to, there are certain barriers that have been identified which can be assisted with further intervention.
Read the full paper here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211034824003043
Measuring fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis – which questionnaire should be used? A Plain Language Summary of Publication
This summary provides an explanation of a study that compared different questionnaires used by doctors to measure levels of fatigue in people with Multiple Sclerosis. This comprised of comparing responses from the following three questionnaires by participants: PROMIS Fatigue (MS) 8a, known as the PROMIS MS Fatigue Short Form; the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), and Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS). The summary had found that the PROMIS MS Fatigue Short Form was better at showing the differences in the levels of fatigue between people with MS, and that it was also found to be better than the FSS questionnaire in showing changes in fatigue level changes.
What this means: The PROMIS MS Fatigue Short Form may be a more effective tool at measuring fatigue than the FSS questionnaire currently used in our core questionnaires.
Read the full paper here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.2217/nmt-2023-0034
University education facilitates uptake of disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis: A community-based study using the UK MS Register
This study investigated the impact of education on the uptake rate of disease modifying treatments for Multiple Sclerosis. Of the 6317 assessed in the study, 46% had received a university education, whereas 54% either only attended schools or completed a diploma. On comparing DMT uptake rates between the two populations, more of the university educated participants had been treated with a DMT (62%) in comparison to the school education or diploma participants (53%). The university educated group were also more likely to be treated with both moderate and high-efficacy DMTs, as well as receive faster initiation of DMT treatment.
What this means: While a public healthcare system should provide equality of access, there is an imbalance in DMT uptake rates with university educated participants having higher rates.
Read the full paper here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13524585231221411
The relationship between ethnicity and multiple sclerosis characteristics in the United Kingdom: A UK MS Register study
This paper looks into the differences in the severity of Multiple Sclerosis according to ethnicity, based on previous studies suggesting differences in severity. Three ethnicities were assessed: White, Black, and South Asian. Although the age of MS onset and age of MS diagnosis were found to be lower in the Black and South Asian ethnicities compared to White ethnicity, there was no significant difference found between ethnic background and physical disability in MS from user patient reported outcomes.
What this means: While no link was found in this particular study, there may be other factors that the study did not assess such as socioeconomic status and structural inequalities that may reflect the findings from the previous studies.
Read the full paper here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/13524585241277018
Algorithmic approach to finding people with multiple sclerosis using routine healthcare data in Wales
This report attempts to develop and evaluate an algorithm to reliably identify cases of Multiple Sclerosis in a national health data bank. Using the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) databank, which contains anonymised health entries of people in Wales, the algorithm identified 6194 living cases of MS within Wales at the end of 2020. When compared to a clinically validated cohort, 96.8% of users were identified by the algorithm as having MS, and from data submitted by the UK MS Register, 96.7% of users were identified as having MS.
What this means: Through health entries it is possibly to reliably identify cohorts with Multiple Sclerosis. With certain adaptions the algorithm could be used to identify populations based in other geographies that use a similar diagnosis structure.
Read the full paper here: https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/95/11/1032
