NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND FUNCTIONAL DISABIL-ITY OF PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
Konstantina Metaxouli, Chrysoula Tsiou, Eleni Dokoutsidou, Nikoletta Margari
Saturday, October 1, 2022
Publication year:
2022
Authors:
- Metaxouli Konstantina, PhD(c), Department of Nursing, University of West Attica, Athens, Greece
- Tsiou Chrysoula, RN, PhD, Associate Professor of Adult Nursing, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Caring Professions, Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Athens, Greece
- Dokoutsidou Eleni, Associate Professor, University of West Attica, Department of Nursing, Athens, Greece
- Margari Nikoletta, Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing, University of West Attica, Athens, Greece
Keywords index:
Pages: 416-426
Abstract:
Introduction: Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the Central Nervous System (CNS). It is one of the most common neurological diseases affecting a large number of people worldwide. Aim: The aim of the study was to explore the association between nutritional status and functional disability of patients with multiple sclerosis.Material & Method: In this cross-sectional pilot study were enrolled 56 adult patients with multiple sclerosis who were monitored in a public hospital in Attica. Data were collected by the completion of a questionnaire consisting of three sections: a) demographic and social characteristics, b) Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) questionnaire, and c) Multiple Sclerosis Rating Scale, Revised (MSRS-R).Results: The majority of participants were women (75.4%), aged 31-60 years (80.7%).In terms of nutritional status, the 1.8% of patients were malnourished, 21.1% were at risk of malnutrition and 77.2% were at normal nutritional levels. Furthermore, 43.9% of the patients had no symptoms in terms of their functional ability, while 56.1% had at least one symptom. It was found that better nutritional status of patients with multiple sclerosis was associated with better functional ability (p = 0.01). Conclusions: Good nutritional status seems to help the functionality of patients with multiple sclerosis.
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