Management of bladder dysfunction in multiple sclerosis patients: the nurse’s point of view

Objective: Physical disability explains only part of the reduced quality of life found among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Bladder dysfunction and sexual disturbance are frequent and distressing problems for MS patients. We therefore estimated the relationship between the presence and degree of sexual disturbance/bladder dysfunction and the patients' quality of life as measured by the SF-36 Health Survey. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of all individuals with the onset of MS between 1976 and 1986 in Hordaland County, Norway. The disease duration at examination was 9-19 years; 194 patients (94%) participated. Results: Fifty-three per cent of the patients with low physical disability (Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS)≤44.0) reported disease-related sexual disturbance and 44% had bladder dysfunction according to the Incapacity Status Scale. The corresponding figures for the patients with a high physical disability (EDSS>44.0) were 86 and 81% respectively. The patients with sexual disturbance had markedly and significantly reduced scores on all eight SF-36 scales, this was after adjustment for disease development measured by the EDSS. The patients without sexual disturbance scored 0.5 s.d. lower than a normal population on the social functioning scale, whereas those with marked sexual disturbance scored 1.5 s.d. lower. Similar results were found for the patients with bladder dysfunction. Conclusion: Bladder and sexual problems are associated with a marked reduction in the quality of life, also among patients with otherwise low disability. This underlines the need for identifying and treating these problems.

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Assessing the effectiveness of yoga, Tai Chi and aerobics on the fatigue of multiple sclerosis patients

Timisoara Physical Education and Rehabilitation Journal ◽

10.2478/tperj-2020-0002 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (24) ◽

pp. 12-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zorina Alina Stroe ◽

Silviu Docu Axelerad ◽

Alexandru Floris Stuparu ◽

Daniel Docu Axelerad

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Tai Chi ◽

Point Of View ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Impact Scale ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Before And After ◽

The Central Nervous System ◽

Scale Test ◽

Multiple Sclerosis Patients

AbstractIntroduction: Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, autoimmune, debilitating disease that affects the central nervous system, and the affected population is predominantly young. Over time, patients with multiple sclerosis end up developing an inability to perform physical activities, even the most basic, innate, such as walking or even coordination.Purpose: Physical recovery of patients with multiple sclerosis, in fact, recovery from fatigue is the main goal of this study, because fatigue is a prevalent factor among these individuals, producing negative effects on the physical, mental, but also on the emotional status.Method: We analyzed, from the point of view of the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale Test - 5-Item Version (MFIS-5), the level of fatigue in a group of 75 patients with multiple sclerosis, before and after a period of one month, where patients were divided into three groups and every group practiced one of the following sports activities: yoga, Tai Chi and aerobics.Results: The effectiveness of each sport was analyzed, from the point of view of the level of fatigue, having as reference the first measurement performed before the beginning of the sports programs. A significant difference in effectiveness was found in the group of patients with multiple sclerosis who used yoga.Conclusion: Our results provided evidence for the association of exercise methods that can affect beneficially the level of fatigue in multiple sclerosis patients, the most effective one being yoga.

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The TRUST (EvaluaTion of Bladder Function in Relapsing-Remitting MUltiple Sclerosis Patients Treated with Natalizumab) Observational Study

International Journal of MS Care ◽

10.7224/1537-2073.2013-003 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 40-47 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Bhupendra O. Khatri ◽

John F. Foley ◽

Jennifer Fink ◽

John F. Kramer ◽

Choon Cha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Bladder Dysfunction ◽

Short Form ◽

Bladder Function ◽

Common Symptom ◽

Trust Evaluation ◽

Relapsing Remitting ◽

Remitting Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Multiple Sclerosis Patients ◽

Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Background: Bladder dysfunction is a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). This study was designed to evaluate effects of natalizumab on bladder function in patients with relapsing-remitting MS. Methods: The TRUST (EvaluaTion of Bladder Function in Relapsing-Remitting MUltiple Sclerosis Patients Treated with Natalizumab) study was an open-label, single-arm, two-center study. Natalizumab-naive MS patients with disabling bladder dysfunction and initiating natalizumab were enrolled and followed for 6 months. The primary endpoint was change in the Urogenital Distress Inventory short form (UDI-6) score from baseline. Change in Incontinence Impact Questionnaire short form (IIQ-7) score from baseline was a secondary endpoint. Results: Thirty patients were enrolled. Mean baseline characteristics were age 49.9 years, Expanded Disability Status Scale score 4.6, number of relapses in previous year 2.4, UDI-6 score 10.4, and IIQ-7 score 12.3. Mean changes in UDI-6 and IIQ-7 scores were significantly improved from baseline beginning at week 4 and up to week 24; mean improvements at 24 weeks were 4.4 (P < .0001) and 4.9 (P = .0005) points, respectively. At week 24, 85.7% and 78.6% of patients demonstrated improvements from baseline in UDI-6 and IIQ-7 scores, respectively. Conclusions: Incontinence-related quality of life as measured by UDI-6 and IIQ-7 scores improved significantly during natalizumab treatment.

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