Assessing Quality of Life in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important consideration for patients with a chronic disease such as multiple sclerosis (MS). We conducted a review of published articles and conference proceedings to evaluate the use of patient-reported measures of HRQOL in MS. A variety of HRQOL measures are used in MS research and clinical practice settings. Generic HRQOL instruments lack domains considered important to MS patients and are subject to significant floor and ceiling effects when used in MS patients. MS-specific instruments, including the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life–54, Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Inventory, and Multiple Sclerosis International Quality of Life, offer both advantages and limitations in assessing HRQOL in MS patients. Only a few reports on the use of these instruments to assess HRQOL outcomes in clinical studies have been published. MS-specific instruments hold the most promise in the assessment of the relationship between disease-modifying drug treatment and HRQOL in MS patients. Further research is needed to better understand the limitations of MS-specific HRQOL instruments in clinical research and practice. Future MS drug therapy trials should include the use of MS-specific instruments to prospectively assess HRQOL as a study outcome.