Potential differences in cognition by race/ethnicity among persons with multiple sclerosis in a clinical setting: A preliminary study

BACKGROUND: While there is evidence of differences in the disease characteristics of multiple sclerosis (MS) across ethnic and racial groups, there has been limited research on cognitive functioning. OBJECTIVE: To explore potential differences among Caucasian (CA), African-American (AA), and Hispanic (HA) adults from a clinical sample on the Minimal Assessment of Cognitive Function in MS (MACFIMS). METHODS: A total of 245 age- and disease duration-matched individuals (194 CA, 23 AA, and 28 HA) were included in the analyses. Their rates of impairment, using the criterion of two standard deviations (SD) below the normative mean, on the MACFIMS were compared using chi-square analyses with post-hoc pairwise comparisons (Bonferroni adjusted). RESULTS: Compared to CA, AA had higher rates of impairment on measures of complex attention (p < 0.001) and executive functions (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings raise questions of whether the observed differences reflect the more aggressive disease course noted among AA or are due to discrepancies in performance on neuropsychological assessment that is associated with race/ethnicity in the general population. Future directions and implications are discussed.