BACKGROUND Recent progress in multiple sclerosis (MS) management has contributed to a greater life expectancy in persons with MS. Ageing with MS comes with unique challenges and bears the potential to greatly affect quality of life and socioeconomic burden. OBJECTIVES To compare frailty in ageing persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) and controls; to correlate frailty with MS clinical characteristics. METHODS PwMS and controls over 50 years old were recruited in a cross-sectional study. Two validated frailty measures were assessed: the frailty index and the Fried's phenotype. Several multiple linear regressions accounting for demographic and clinical characteristics were performed. RESULTS Eighty pwMS (57 females, mean age 58.5 ± 6 years old) and 37 controls (24 females, mean age 61 ± 6.5 years old) were recruited. Multivariable analysis identified significantly higher frailty index in pwMS (0.21 ± 0.12 vs 0.11 ± 0.08, p < 0.0001). Similarly, according to Fried's phenotype, a significantly higher percentage of pwMS were frail compared to controls (28% vs 8%). In pwMS, frailty index was independently associated with expanded disability status scale (EDSS), comorbidities, education level and disease duration. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that frailty can be routinely assessed in pwMS. Increased frailty in MS patients suggests that, along with MS therapeutics, a tailored multidisciplinary approach of ageing pwMS is needed.

中文翻译：

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患有多发性硬化症的老年人的虚弱

背景多发性硬化症（MS）管理的最新进展已有助于延长 MS 患者的预期寿命。MS 老龄化带来了独特的挑战，并有可能极大地影响生活质量和社会经济负担。目的 比较患有多发性硬化症 (pwMS) 和对照组的老年人的虚弱程度；将虚弱与 MS 临床特征相关联。方法 在横断面研究中招募了 PwMS 和 50 岁以上的对照。评估了两个经过验证的衰弱指标：衰弱指数和弗里德表型。进行了几个考虑人口统计学和临床​​特征的多元线性回归。结果 招募了 80 名 pwMS（57 名女性，平均年龄 58.5 ± 6 岁）和 37 名对照（24 名女性，平均年龄 61 ± 6.5 岁）。多变量分析确定了 pwMS 中显着更高的虚弱指数（0.21 ± 0.12 vs 0.11 ± 0.08，p < 0.0001）。同样，根据 Fried 的表型，与对照组相比，pwMS 虚弱的比例显着更高（28% 对 8%）。在 pwMS 中，虚弱指数与扩展残疾状态量表 (EDSS)、合并症、教育水平和病程独立相关。结论 我们的结果表明，可以在 pwMS 中常规评估虚弱。MS 患者虚弱的增加表明，除了 MS 疗法外，还需要针对衰老 pwMS 量身定制的多学科方法。在 pwMS 中，虚弱指数与扩展残疾状态量表 (EDSS)、合并症、教育水平和病程独立相关。结论 我们的结果表明，可以在 pwMS 中常规评估虚弱。MS 患者虚弱的增加表明，除了 MS 疗法外，还需要针对衰老 pwMS 量身定制的多学科方法。在 pwMS 中，虚弱指数与扩展残疾状态量表 (EDSS)、合并症、教育水平和病程独立相关。结论 我们的结果表明，可以在 pwMS 中常规评估虚弱。MS 患者虚弱的增加表明，除了 MS 疗法外，还需要针对衰老 pwMS 量身定制的多学科方法。