title: Interferon-beta treatment for patients with multiple sclerosis: the patients' perceptions of the side-effects.
abstract: The aims of this study were to investigate (i) the self-reported frequency and intensity of systemic side-effects and their impact on the daily lives of patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and undergoing interferon-beta therapy and (ii) the self-reported frequency and perceptions of any local-tissue reactions. Forty patients aged 22 - 59 years (27 females) with relapsing/remitting MS were consecutively recruited for the study (17 on interferon-beta-1a and 23 on interferon-beta-1b). Two self-administered questionnaires were used before and after 1, 4, 8 and 16 weeks of therapy. The interferon therapy was found to be associated with flu-like symptoms. Most systemic side-effects were reported to be mild and to have little impact on the patients' daily lives. Asthenia and fatigue were more often rated as moderate or severe. The most frequently reported local-tissue side-effects were redness and local pain at the injection sites. A considerable inter-individual variation was found among patients regarding the perceptions of both the systemic and local side-effects. This suggests that it is of importance to identify early those patients who may need more support or other interventions to maintain a successful compliance. Multiple Sclerosis (2000) 6 349 - 354
authors.affiliation: The MS Centre at Karolinska Institutet, Department of Neurology, Karolinska Institutet at Huddinge University Hospital, SE-141 86 Stockholm.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gottberg
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gardulf
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fredrikson
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000068556:Interferon beta-1a; D000068576:Interferon beta-1b; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000068576:Interferon beta-1b; D016899:Interferon-beta; D000068556:Interferon beta-1a