New approach to evaluation of clinical state in patients with multiple sclerosis

The authors used a new method of evaluating clinical disability--Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC). Three quantitative tests, for the upper, lower extremities and cognitive functions, were used in 90 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The correlation between these results and Expanded Disability Status (EDSS) has shown that in slightly disabled patients there was achieved relatively high correlation especially for the upper extremities function. Their function remains saved for comparatively a long time. During the gradual deterioration of clinical status high correlation between the severity of disability and lower extremities function was achieved. The lowest degree of correlation was observed in cognitive functions, which are monitored more senzitively by MSFC method than by EDSS. The best correlation was revealed in seriously disabled group, not in slight and moderate affections, because EDSS evaluates these functions only marginally and cannot catch discover the beginning of the cognitive deficit. (Tab. 1, Ref. 4.)