Clinical Edge

Summaries of Must-Read Clinical Literature, Guidelines, and FDA Actions

MS Comorbidities Impact Clinical Outcomes

Mult Scler J; ePub 2016 May 26; Conway, et al

Hypertension, diabetes, and obstructive lung disease impacted clinical outcomes, including walking speed, self-reported disability, and depression, in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), a recent study found. Researchers evaluated the Knowledge Program, a database linked to an electronic medical record allowing capture of patient and clinician reported outcomes. They identified all relapsing-remitting MS patients seen between January 1, 2010, and May 29, 2012, and acquired their magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results and comorbidities. They found:

• Hypertension had the greatest effect on clinical outcomes.

• Hyperlipidemia did not impact clinical outcomes.

• The presence of multiple comorbidities had a cumulative effect on clinical outcomes.

• MRI outcomes were unaffected by comorbidities.

Citation: Conway DS, Thompson NR, Cohen JA. Influence of hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and obstructive lung disease on multiple sclerosis disease course. [Published online ahead of print May 26, 2016]. Mult Scler J. doi:10.1177/1352458516650512.