Comparison of the Quality of Life of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis and the Healthy Population with Special Reference to the Impact of Fatigue, the Frequency of Relapses and the Use of Immunotherapy

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis and the healthy population. Another aim of this study was to determine the impact of pathological fatigue, the number of relapses and the effect of immunotherapy on the level of satisfaction with thequality of life among the sick population.Methods: The study included 30 patients diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and 30 healthy subjects. Basic data were taken from the archives of the clinic for neurology, and patients were examined according to the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale and SF36-v2 questionnaires. Results: This study showed that patients with multiple sclerosis have a poorer quality of life compared to the healthy population (p=0.002), Among the patients, the level of satisfaction with thequality of life differed significantly depending on fatigue, the number of relapses in the last year and immunotherapy. It was found that patients with more relapses in the last year were more dissatisfied with the quality of life compared to patients with one or no relapses (p=0.048). Moreover, research has shown that patients who suffer from increased fatigue have a poorer quality of life, in contrast to patients with a normal level of fatigue (p=0.007). Finally, patients receiving immunotherapy have a better quality of life compared with patients not receiving it (p=0.033). Conclusion: Those with multiple sclerosis have a significantly lower level of satisfaction with the quality of life. Patients with more relapses in the last year, those who suffer from increased fatigue and those who do not receive immunotherapy have a poorer quality of life.Key words: relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis; quality of life; fatigue; MFIS; SF36-v2