[Clinical evaluation of multiple sclerosis: quantification by use of scales]

Clinical evaluation is indispensable in multiple sclerosis (MS) for the quantitative measurement of the extent of the disorder, which is in turn required to find out how the disease is evolving and the influence the different forms of treatment are having on it, both in the experimental phase and in the usual monitoring they are subjected to.

We review the different scales that are used to evaluate the distinct symptomatic and functional aspects of MS and the repercussions these have on the extent of disability displayed in the patient s social and personal life. Although in recent years, the EDSS has been an essential, irreplaceable scale in MS, other instruments of measurement that complement it have also begun to appear. The fatigue, cognitive function and quality of life scales are being used more and more frequently. The Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite is an instrument that is used more and more frequently in MS and has proved to be highly sensitive in the evaluation of very important clinical trials.

The lack of correlation between the distinct scales corroborates the fact that they measure complementary aspects of MS.