Effects of glatiramer acetate on fatigue and work absenteeism in multiple sclerosis
Author Information
Author(s): Tjalf Ziemssen, Josef Hoffman, Rainer Apfel, Simone Kern
Primary Institution: MS Center, Neurological University Clinic, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Hypothesis
Does treatment with glatiramer acetate reduce fatigue and absenteeism in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis?
Conclusion
Glatiramer acetate treatment significantly improved fatigue symptoms and reduced absence from work in patients.
Supporting Evidence
- Total MFIS scores decreased significantly from 34.6 to 27.0.
- Fatigue symptoms decreased by 1.04 cm on a visual analogue scale.
- The proportion of patients absent from work at least once was reduced from 65.1% to 30.1%.
- 78.3% of patients rated treatment tolerance as very good or good.
- Adverse effects were reported in 15.1% of patients, mostly local injection site reactions.
Takeaway
This study found that a medicine called glatiramer acetate helps people with multiple sclerosis feel less tired and miss fewer days of work.
Methodology
A prospective, observational study involving 291 treatment-naïve patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis treated with glatiramer acetate for twelve months.
Potential Biases
Potential anamnestic error due to data collection method.
Limitations
The study lacked a comparator group and relied on data collected during physician consultations, which may have introduced bias.
Participant Demographics
Median age was 36.9 years, with 74.9% female participants.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p ≤ 0.001
Statistical Significance
p ≤ 0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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