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Body composition in ambulatory women with multiple sclerosis
Charles P Lambert1, R Lee Archer, William J Evans
1Nutrition, Metabolism, and Exercise Laboratory, Donald W. Reynolds Department of Geriatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA. LamberCharlesP@exchange.uams.edu
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
|November 8, 2002
Summary
This study found no significant differences in body composition, including fat mass and fat-free mass, between ambulatory patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls. Disease severity, measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), did not correlate with body composition in MS patients.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Neurology
- Body Composition Analysis
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease affecting body composition.
- Understanding body composition differences in ambulatory MS patients is crucial for management.
- Previous research has yielded varied results on body composition in MS.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare whole-body fat mass and fat-free mass (FFM) between ambulatory patients with MS and healthy control subjects.
- To investigate the relationship between disease severity (EDSS score) and body composition in MS patients.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study design was employed.
- Seventeen ambulatory women with MS and 12 healthy women controls participated.
- Whole-body body composition was assessed, including percentage of fat-free mass (%FFM), percentage of body fat (%BF), FFM, and fat mass.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were found in %BF or %FFM between MS patients and controls.
- Age was used as a covariate in analyses due to significant group differences.
- The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score did not significantly correlate with %BF or %FFM in MS patients.
Conclusions:
- Ambulatory patients with MS do not exhibit significant differences in body composition compared to healthy controls.
- Disease severity, as indicated by the EDSS score, is not a significant predictor of body composition in this MS cohort.