•Benign MS (BMS) is a subgroup of MS where PwMS experience minimal physical disability.•There has always been debate about whether BMS really exists.•In a group of 141 PwBMS, 38% of persons were ...found to have cognitive impairment.•Fatigue (78%) and depression (55%) were also common findings.•This data questions the further use of the term ‘benign MS’.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory and degenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS). The severity of disability in people with MS (PwMS) is generally measured with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). A variant of MS known as ‘benign MS’ (BMS) has been defined as an EDSS score of 3 or lower, combined with a disease duration of 10 years or longer; however, there is disagreement in the field about whether BMS really exists. Given that the EDSS does not capture cognitive issues, communication dysfunction, fatigue, depression, or anxiety properly, its ability to accurately represent disability in all PwMS, including BMS, remains questionable.
In this study, 141 persons with BMS (PwBMS) were included, consisting of 115 females (82%) and 26 males (18%) with a mean age of 50.8 (±8.68). A computerized test battery (NeuroTrax®) was used to assess cognition, covering seven cognitive domains (memory, executive function, visual-spatial processing, verbal function, attention, information processing, and motor skills). Fatigue was measured using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to assess symptoms of depression. Cognitive impairment was defined for this study as when someone has a score lower than 85 in at least two subdomains of the cognitive test battery. Rates of impairment were compared to 158 persons with non-benign MS (PwNBMS; with a disease duration of 10 years and longer and an EDSS score higher than 3) and 487 PwMS with a disease duration of fewer than 10 years.
Cognitive impairment was found in 38% of PwBMS and in 66% of PwNBMS (p<0.001). In PwBMS, the lowest rate of impairment was found in the verbal function domain (18%) and the highest rate of impairment in the domain of information processing (32%). Fatigue and depression were found in 78% and 55% of all PwBMS, with no difference in these rates between PwBMS and PwNBMS (p = 0.787 and p = 0.316 resp.)
Cognitive impairment, fatigue and depression are common among people with an EDSS-based definition of benign MS. These aspects should be incorporated into a new and better definition of truly benign MS
Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a chronic disease of the central nervous system (CNS), affects functional ability and quality of life (QoL). Depression, fatigue, and disability status are among the many ...factors that have been shown to impact QoL in people with MS, but the extent to which MS-related cognitive impairment is related to QoL is understudied in the literature.
The purpose of this study was to determine relevant predictors of QoL from a wide list of symptoms including physical disability, and a multi-dimensional computerized cognitive assessment battery (CAB), depression, fatigue, and demographic variables (including employment status). In addition, the unique predictive power of cognitive impairment on QoL was explored in relation to other common factors of disease impact.
171 people with MS (PwMS) were evaluated with a computerized assessment battery (CAB), EDSS examination, and validated Patient Reported Outcome (PRO) measures (Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale, MSIS-29; Beck Depression Inventory – Second Edition BDI-2; and the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale, MFIS).
171 PwMS were included Age: 46.02 years ± 9.85, 124 (72.5%) female. Depression and fatigue scores were highly correlated with MSIS-29. EDSS, unemployment, memory, executive functioning, and motor skills were moderately correlated with MSIS-29. Predictors of QoL were EDSS, depression, fatigue, executive functioning, and attention. Attention and executive functioning were predictive of QoL even after controlling for demographic variables, fatigue, depression, and physical disability status.
Findings indicate the need for comprehensive and quantified evaluation of all factors associated with disease burden, which will ultimately serve to improve the QoL in PwMS through more targeted and patient-centered care.
Neurologists’ perceptions of the presence of cognitive impairment (CI) in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) may not always align with findings of objective cognitive assessment. The accuracy of ...self-reported CI in PwMS can also be highly variable across individuals, and may not align with objective measurement of cognitive disturbances. Research suggests that additional factors impact perceived cognitive ability, such as depression and fatigue. Objective cognitive screening regardless of patient or neurologist perception has been recommended but still is often limited in routine care. Moreover, comprehensive neuropsychological assessment is even less routinely done.
To explore how neurologists’ perceptions of PwMS’ CI compare to the perception of the patient by determining whether PwMS and their clinicians are accurate in detecting the presence and degree of CI as defined by a multi-domain validated computerized test battery in PwMS, as well as investigate what factors influence perception of CI in each group.
PwMS completed a computerized multi-domain cognitive testing battery, and self-reported measures of disease impact (MSIS-29), fatigue (MFIS), and depression (BDI-II). Disability was assessed by the clinician using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). Clinicians and patients also provided an estimation of cognitive deficits along a Likert scale.
In this cohort of PwMS (N=202, age range: 20 to 88, gender: 71% female), their level of accuracy in detecting attention deficits (k = -.028, p = .010) was low but statistically significant. In contrast, clinicians’ accuracy in detecting global CI (k = -.037, p < .001) and a number of specific domain deficits was moderate. Fatigue (p < .001) and cognitive performance (p = .012) significantly predicted patient perceived cognitive deficits. Clinician perceived cognitive performance was significantly predicted by multiple factors: cognitive scores (p < .001), physical disability (p = .011), age (p = .021), and depression (p = .038).
The need to objectively screen for CI in PwMS, regardless of perception, can be aided by a better understanding of the agreement and discrepancies between the patient and clinician regarding perceived cognitive disturbances and the presence of CI defined by a multi-dimensional objective screening battery.
Introduction: Dysphagia and communication changes are common in life-limiting conditions and Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) involvement to facilitate effective communication, eating and drinking ...contributes to the goals of comprehensive palliative care.
Aim: To examine the existing literature around the role of SLPs in palliative care to define the best practice role for SLPs in this area, identify current services and interventions provided by SLPs to patients with life-limiting conditions, assess for potential gaps between best practice in the literature and everyday SLP practice and opportunities for improvement.
Methods: The methods used were electronic literature searches within MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL, and manual searching. Papers were classified according to type. Meta-analysis was not appropriate due to the nature of the papers, and so a narrative exploration of themes was conducted.
Results: Thirty-two papers were included (eight research, twenty-four non-research).
Discussion: Specific roles for SLPs in dysphagia, communication, and holistic professional practice were identified. There is insufficient research to determine whether this is reflected in everyday SLP practice. Potential challenges to providing services include the impact of working with people who are dying, limited professional preparation, ongoing education constraints, and legal and ethical considerations. Further research into SLP activities with patients with life-limiting conditions is required to explore the valuable contributions already being made by SLPs to the care of patients with life-limiting illnesses and to identify opportunities to develop and improve evidence-based services in this area.
Objectives:
We explored the possible effects of neuromuscular electrostimulation on the swallowing function of patients with multiple sclerosis and swallowing problems.
Methods:
Twenty-five patients ...(average age, 53.1 years; SD, 9.8 years) with multiple sclerosis and swallowing problems were treated for 3 weeks with 2 sessions per week of neuromuscular electrostimulation. The average time since the onset of multiple sclerosis was 16.5 years (SD, 10.2 years). Seventeen patients were examined with transnasal flexible endoscopy 1 week before treatment and 1 week after treatment.
Results:
After treatment, a significant decrease in pooling of saliva in the pyriform sinuses was seen in 6 patients (p = 0.03), and significantly less aspiration during swallowing of thin liquids (p < 0.01) was seen in 9 patients. Overall, the 25 patients reported that their swallowing had improved (p < 0.01), and in 20% of the patients, it had become less strenuous. No adverse effects of the treatment were reported.
Conclusions:
Our study showed that the treatment of swallowing problems with neuromuscular electrostimulation in patients with multiple sclerosis in this sample was successful in the reduction of pooling of saliva and in the reduction of aspiration.
