Clinical outcome measures in multiple sclerosis.

Full Abstract

Quantifying the clinical impact of multiple sclerosis (MS) is a critical issue for judging experimental therapies tested in clinical trials, and, in everyday practice, for optimizing individual patient care. Proposed clinical outcome measures for MS belong to four main categories. In the first, information is based on the objective neurological examination. Examples in this category include the Expanded Disability Status Scale and related instruments, the Scripps Neurological Rating Scale and the MS Impairment Scale. The second category is represented by quantitative tests of neurological function:
the most important example is represented by the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite. In the third category, information is provided by the patient or a family member. Measures of disability and handicap (as the Incapacity Status Scale, and the Environmental Status Scale), and generic or disease-specific quality of life instruments are included in this class. Finally, the last category consists of measures which present hybrid characteristics, such as the Ambulation Index and the Cambridge Multiple Sclerosis Basic Score. To date, no single measure has emerged as the ideal outcome measure:
the main advantages and disadvantages of currently available measurement tools are discussed.

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Author information

Author/s: Amato, Maria Pia (MP); Portaccio, Emilio (E);

Affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy. mariapia.amato(-atsign-)unifi.it

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Review

Journal: Journal of the neurological sciences (J Neurol Sci), published in Netherlands. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-Aug; vol 259 (issue 1-2) : pp 118-22

Dates: Created 2007/07/16; Completed 2007/10/03; Revised 2007/11/15;

PMID: 17376487, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Multiple Sclerosis - therapy
Outcome Assessment (Health Care) - methods
Reproducibility of Results
Sensitivity and Specificity

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