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Clinical Trial
. 2013;8(1):e54756.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054756. Epub 2013 Jan 23.

Impact of mobility impairment on indirect costs and health-related quality of life in multiple sclerosis

Craig I Coleman  1 , Matthew F Sidovar, Matthew S Roberts, Christine Kohn
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Impact of mobility impairment on indirect costs and health-related quality of life in multiple sclerosis

Craig I Coleman et al. PLoS One. 2013.

Abstract

This study was conducted to estimate the indirect costs and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (utilities) of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the United States (US), and to determine the impact of worsening mobility on these parameters. In collaboration with the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) registry we conducted a cross-sectional study of participants who completed the biannual update and supplemental spring 2010 survey. Demographic, employment status, income, mobility impairment, and health utility data were collected from a sample of registry participants who met the study criteria and agreed to participate in the supplemental Mobility Study. Mean annual indirect costs per participant in 2011US$ and mean utilities for the population and for cohorts reporting different levels of mobility impairment were estimated. Analyses included 3,484 to 3,611 participants, based on survey completeness. Thirty-seven percent of registrants were not working or attending school and 46.7% of these reported retiring early. Indirect costs per participant per year, not including informal caregiver cost, were estimated at $30,601±31,184. The largest relative increase in indirect costs occurred at earlier mobility impairment stages, regardless of the measure used. Participants' mean utility score (0.73±0.18) was lower than that of a similarly aged sample from the general US population (0.87). As with indirect costs, larger decrements in utility were seen at earlier mobility impairment stages. These results suggest that mobility impairment may contribute to increases in indirect costs and declines in HRQoL in MS patients.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: This study was funded by Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. Other major potential conflicts of interest are as follows: Craig Coleman has received research funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. Matthew Sidovar is an employee of Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. Matthew Roberts and Christine Kohn have no conflicts of interest to report. These competing interests do not alter the authors’ adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Indirect Costs by 12-Item Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale Question 6 Responses.
MSWS-12 Question 6 =  ”In the past two (2) weeks, how much has your MS limited how far you are able to walk?”.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Indirect Costs and EQ-5D Health Utility Scores by NARCOMS Performance Scale Categories.
Mobility Performance Scale =  “In the past 4 weeks, compare your current condition to your mobility before you developed MS”.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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