Association of Wellness Practices in MS Patients Using Self Reported Disability Scores and MS Characteristics

Background: MS patients like everyone else, seek optimal health and wellness. MS presents special challenges to seeking wellness: the clinical characteristics, age of the patient and their perceived disability level may determine the use of wellness practices. Correlation between self-reported data and wellness practices has not been reported to date.

Objectives: Our study intends to find a relationship between wellness practices, self-reported disability, disease duration, age, and gender in MS patients. We hypothesize that Multiple Sclerosis patients with longer disease duration and high self-reported disability scores tend to utilize a wider variety of wellness practices.

Methods: MS patients were given a survey about their wellness practices. The variables of interest include: exercise, weight, supplements, nutritional practices, and stress management techniques. Charts were reviewed for age, gender, disease duration(dd) and MSPS. The MSPS is a self-reported scale of perceived disability. Statistical analysis was conducted on the data.

Results: 122 surveys were completed, 80% female. The range for age was 21 to 80 with a median of 52 years, MSPS score was 0 to 36 with a median of 11.5 and dd was 1 to 43 with a median of 11 years. Exercise frequency neither correlated with MSPS (Rho=0.044, P-value = 0.693) nor with dd (Rho=0.026, P-Value = 0.816). Patients exercised about 11 to 20 times per month, this did not change with age. A weak correlation was observed between dd and MSPS (Rho = 0.267, P-value = 0.006). The mean, median and standard deviations that compare the different nutritional practices to the MSPS score and dd are similar. 72% tried a nutritional wellness tool, healthy diet was the preference, Stress management tools were used by 76%, and use increased with age and differed by sex. Supplements were used in 39% similar with gender and more common with increase age.

Conclusions: Wellness practice use did not correlate with MSPS or disease duration, although a weak correlation between MSPS and disease duration was observed. Wellness practices variability increased with age. The majority of MS patients use nutrition, stress management and exercise as wellness tools. MS caregivers should be aware of MS patients using wellness practices that is unpredictable by age, self-reports of disability or disease duration. This study is limited by small sample size.