The patient knows best: significant change in the physical component of the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29 physical)

• Published in: Journal of neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry neurosurgery and psychiatry, 2007-08, Vol.78 (8), p.841-844
• Main Authors: Costelloe, Lisa, O’Rourke, Killian, Kearney, Hugh, McGuigan, Christopher, Gribbin, Lisa, Duggan, Marguerite, Daly, Leslie, Tubridy, Niall, Hutchinson, Michael
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cohort Studies; Disability; Disabled Persons; Disease Progression; EDSS; effect sizes; Expanded Disability Status Scale; Health Status; Humans; MSFC; MSIS; Multiple sclerosis; Multiple Sclerosis - complications; Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite; Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale; Patients; QoL; quality of life; receiver operating characteristic; Reference Values; Reproducibility of Results; ROC; ROC Curve; Sensitivity and Specificity; Severity of Illness Index; Software; Studies
• ISSN: 0022-3050; 1468-330X
• DOI: 10.1136/jnnp.2006.105759

Aim: The aims of this study were to determine the reliability, responsiveness and minimally important change score of the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS)-29 physical using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) as an anchor measure. Methods: 214 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) (EDSS 0–8.5) had concurrent MSIS-29 and EDSS assessments at baseline and at up to 4 years of follow-up. Results: 116 patients had unchanged EDSS scores. Stability of the MSIS-29 physical (mean change 0.1 points) was better in the 85 patients with EDSS 0–5.0 than in the 31 patients with EDSS 5.5–8.5 in whom the MSIS-29 physical score fell by 8 points, a response shift phenomenon. A floor effect for the MSIS-29 was observed in 5% of stable patients at both time points. 98 patients experienced EDSS change with moderately strong statistically significant correlations between change scores in the EDSS and the MSIS-29 physical (r = 0.523, p