Walking Speed and HealthaEuroRelated Quality of Life in Multiple Sclerosis

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between slower walking and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Methods We used North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis data to conduct a study of participants completing both the regular semiannual and supplemental spring 2010 surveys. Question 10 of the 12-item Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale ("How much has your MS slowed down your walking?") was used to assess patient-perceived impact of walking speed on HRQoL. HRQoL assessments included the Short Form-12 (SF-12), EuroQoL-5 Dimension (EQ-5D), Short Form-6 Dimension (SF-6D), and a visual analog scale (VAS). Results A total of 3,670 registrants completed both surveys and were included. Unadjusted analyses showed that compared with those classifying the impact of MS on walking speed as "not at all" (n = 661), participants stating MS impacted their walking speed "a little" (n = 722), "moderately" (n = 486), "quite a bit" (n = 714), and "extremely" (n = 1,087) reported poorer SF-12 physical component scale (PCS) (r = -0.69, p < 0.001), mental component scale (MCS) (r = -0.16, p < 0.001), and health status index scores (r = -0.50 to -0.51 for the EQ-VAS, EQ-5D and SF-6D, p < 0.001 for all). After adjustment for demographics and additional MS-related disability and symptoms, the impact of walking speed remained significant, although less profound for the PCS (reductions of 3.59-12.31 across walking speed classifications) and index scores (reductions ranging from 1.98 to 14.06, 0.04 to 0.13, and 0.02 to 0.07 for the EQ-VAS, EQ-5D, and SF-6D). Reduction in walking speed was no longer associated with a worse MCS (p > 0.05 all classifications of walking speed). Conclusion Incremental decrements in HRQoL were observed as patients perceived greater levels of reduction in their walking speed.