Walking ability linked to overall quality of life in multiple sclerosis, study says
Findings highlight potential benefits of maintaining an active lifestyle
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Overall quality of life may be closely associated with walking ability for people with multiple sclerosis, according to a new analysis.
- A new study links walking ability and daily step counts directly to overall quality of life in people with MS.
- Measurements of the intensity of physical activity were not significantly correlated with life quality scores.
- Maintaining an active lifestyle and daily mobility may help patients manage symptoms and improve well-being.
Among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), overall quality of life may be closely associated with walking ability, according to a new analysis.
The study showed that lower levels of disability, greater walking abilities, and a higher daily step count were linked to a better quality of life in people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS).
“These findings reinforce previous research and highlight the potential benefits of maintaining an active lifestyle,” Marko Luostarinen, PhD, co-author of the study at the University of Eastern Finland, said in a university news story. “The results may help healthcare professionals encourage people with MS to increase their daily activity levels to support better quality of life.”
The study, “Walking performance is associated with quality of life and disability in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis,” was published in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders.
MS patients had lower quality of life scores than control group
MS is a neurological disease that can cause a wide range of symptoms, from muscle spasticity to bladder problems and mental health challenges. For many people with MS, the disease leads to challenges with mobility; people with advanced MS often rely on mobility devices like wheelchairs or walkers to help them get around.
Living with a chronic disease like MS can take a toll on a person’s quality of life, but the aspects of the disease that have the most influence on quality of life are not fully established. In this study, researchers sought to better understand the relationship between mobility and quality of life in people with MS.
The study included 41 people with RRMS, all of whom were able to at least walk unaided for short distances. The participants completed standardized measures of health-related life quality, including the 15-dimensional (15D) measures of health-related quality of life and the physical and mental health components of the RAND-36.
The participants underwent standardized assessments of overall physical disability, including the six-minute walk test (6MWT), which measures how far someone can walk in six minutes, and had their physical activity tracked for a week using a wearable sensor.
With all this data in hand, the researchers used statistical analyses to look for significant correlations (associations) between measures of mobility and measures of life quality.
The results showed that people with MS overall had lower quality of life scores on both the RAND-36 and 15D than a control group of people without MS.
Higher activity level measured by daily step count and better walking performance were associated with higher quality of life scores.
In the MS patients, performance on the 6MWT correlated significantly with both the 15D and RAND-36 — in other words, patients who walked farther in six minutes also generally reported better quality of life. Additionally, higher total daily step counts were correlated with better mental health-related quality of life on the RAND-36.
All life quality measures were also correlated with scores on standard tests of overall disability, with greater disability associated with lower life quality.
“Higher activity level measured by daily step count and better walking performance were associated with higher quality of life scores,” the researchers wrote, adding that healthcare providers may thus be able to use clinical measures of walking ability to better understand a person’s general well-being.
“The results could be used to guide patients to more active lifestyles, manage MS symptoms, and identify suitable forms of exercise to support and improve quality of life,” the scientists added.
Measurements looking at the intensity of physical activity were not significantly correlated with life quality scores, the researchers noted. This suggests that “everyday mobility and participation in daily activities may be more relevant to perceived quality of life than activity intensity per se,” they said.
The researchers stressed that these analyses were limited to a few dozen patients, highlighting a need for additional studies to validate and expand upon these results.
“Future longitudinal and interventional studies are needed to clarify whether improvements in functional mobility may lead to improvements in quality of life,” they said.
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