Correlations Between Severity of Disease and Quality of Life in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis in Hamadan

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common chronic disease. Limitation in the patient’s independence eventually has a negative impact on their quality of life. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the association between the severity of disease and patients’ quality of life in Hamadan city, western Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 72 patients with MS were selected using simple sampling in Hamadan, during year 2015. Patients were divided to three groups based on their score of expanded disability status scale (EDSS). expanded disability status scale was classified at three levels of 0 to 3.5, 4.0 to 6.5, and 7.0 to 9.5. Data were collected using the multiple sclerosis quality of life-54 instrument (MSQOL-54). Data was analyzed with analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the SPSS 18 software. Results: Quality of life in three groups of MS patients had a significant difference (P < 0.05). The patients achieved middle and low scores in all MSQOL-54 dimensions. The mean score of physical and mental health showed that EDSS was significantly different between the three groups (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Patients with MS and low EDSS had higher quality of life than other EDSS levels. It is recommended for education and empowerment to be provided to people with middle and high scores in EDSS.