Neurological

The effect of physical activity on perceived fatigue in relapsing-remitting MS

The following article is part of conference coverage of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) Annual 2021 Meeting, held in Orlando, Florida, October 25-28, 2021, for Neurology Experts. Find out the latest news from the 2021 CMSC Annual Meeting.

Moderate-intensity physical activity can decrease perceived physical and cognitive fatigue in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a study presented at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) Annual Meeting 2021 October 25-28 became. 2021 in Orlando, Florida.

In patients with MS, fatigue is one of the most commonly reported disabling symptoms. Previous research suggests that physical activity may help reduce symptoms associated with MS, but it has also been found that this patient population tends to be less physically active compared to the general healthy population.

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The current aim of the study was to investigate the effect of lifestyle activity on perceived physical and cognitive decline in patients with RRMS.

The study was a cross-sectional analysis of patient data collected during a prevention phase of a dietary intervention study. The researchers measured lifestyle physical activity using an accelerometer that was worn on the patient’s wrist for 7 days. To assess perceived fatigue, patients completed the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (physical, cognitive, and psychosocial subscales), and the Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive Functions (FSMCF) (cognitive and motor subscales) .

General linear models were used to assess the relationships between physical activity and fatigue measurements. The models included an activity variable ranging from light to vigorous intensity and also took into account several control variables such as age, gender, years since MS was diagnosed, a healthy diet index, the 6-minute walk test distance, body mass index, and vitamin D.

The study cohort included 83 patients with RRMS (mean age 45.4 years; 85.5% female) who had had MS for an average of 10.7 years. Participants performed an average of 1295 minutes of light activity per week, 368 minutes of moderate activity per week, and 12 minutes of vigorous activity per week. In an analysis controlled for demographic and clinical variables, the researchers observed an association between longer duration of moderate-intensity activity with lower FSMCF cognitive (P = .0137) and FSMCF motor (P = .0241) scores, and lower FSS scores ( P = 0.0011).

The researchers concluded that their results “emphasize the importance of moderate physical activity in reducing perceived physical and cognitive fatigue in individuals with RRMS and provide support for the use of moderate-intensity measures to reduce MS-related fatigue”.

Disclosure: A study author reports links to industry. For a full list of specifications, see the original reference.

reference

Bisht B, Titcomb TJ, Darling WG et al. Association of lifestyle physical activity with physical and cognitive exhaustion in individuals with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Presented at: CMSC Annual Meeting 2021; 25.-28. October 2021; Orlando Florida. Summary PSY18.

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