title: The importance of quality-of-life assessment in the management of patients with multiple sclerosis. Recommendations from the Middle East MS Advisory Group.
abstract: Multiple sclerosis (MS) has a major negative impact on patients` health-related quality of life (QoL). A group of MS experts in the Middle East met to develop recommendations for the routine assessment of QoL in patients with MS. The group recommended that patients need to be assessed once a year using the multiple sclerosis international QoL questionnaire (MusiQoL), which is available in Arabic. Assessments should be made when patients are relapse-free to avoid confounding factors. At other clinic visits, patients` QoL should also be monitored, alongside their physical assessment, using open and structured questions on disease features that are likely to affect their QoL. This approach should allow long-term monitoring of key features of MS that are important to patients` well being, and aid decision-making regarding their management, including the use of disease-modifying drugs.
authors.affiliation: Neurology Section, King Khalid University Hospital, College of Medicine, King Saud University, PO Box 2925, Riyadh 11461, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. atahan45@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Abdelrahman M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Al-Tahan
authors.forename: Mohammed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Al-Jumah
authors.forename: Saeed M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Bohlega
authors.forename: Suhail N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Al-Shammari
authors.forename: Isa A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Al-Sharoqi
authors.forename: Maurice P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Dahdaleh
authors.forename: Hassan M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Hosny
authors.forename: Bassem I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Yamout
mesh_terms: D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006801:Humans; D059065:Medication Reconciliation / Q000592:standards; D008877:Middle East; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D010808:Physical Examination; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires