Research

The burden of multiple sclerosis: A community health survey

C Allyson Jones^1,2 , Sheri L Pohar² , Sharon Warren¹ , Karen VL Turpin³ and Kenneth G Warren³

¹  Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2G4, Canada

²  Institute of Health Economics, Edmonton, Alberta, T5J 3N4, Canada

³  Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2G3, Canada

author email corresponding author email

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 2008, 6:1doi:10.1186/1477-7525-6-1

Published:	7 January 2008

Abstract

Background

Health-related quality of life (HRQL) in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) who reside within the community relative to the general population is largely unknown. Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey Cycle 1.1 (CCHS 1.1) were used to compare HRQL of persons with MS and the general population.

Methods

A representative sample of adults (18 years or older) from the cross sectional population health survey, CCHS 1.1, was examined to compare scores on the Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI3), a generic preference-based HRQL measure, of respondents with (n = 302) and without (n = 109,741) MS. Selected sociodemographic covariates were adjusted for in ANCOVA models. Normalized sampling weights and bootstrap variance estimates were used in the analysis.

Results

The mean difference in overall HUI3 scores between respondents with and without MS was 0.25 (95% CI: 0.20, 0.31); eight times greater than the clinically important difference. The largest differences in scores were seen with the ambulation (0.26; 95% CI: 0.20, 0.32) and pain attributes (0.14; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.19). Clinically important differences with dexterity and cognition were also observed.

Conclusion

While the proportion of the Canadian population with MS is relatively small in comparison to other diseases, the magnitude of the burden is severe relative to the general population.