Racial analyses of longer-stay nursing home residents with multiple sclerosis

Compare profiles of African Americans with multiple sclerosis (MS) to White residents with MS one year after admission to a nursing facility.

We used all admission assessments recorded in the national Minimum Data Set (MDS) from 1999 to 2001 as well as all MDS annual assessments recorded from 2000 to 2002. We matched admission assessments with first annual assessment for 3632 White residents with MS and 461 African-American residents with MS.

African Americans with MS were admitted at a significantly younger age and with more aid to daily living (ADL) dependence and cognitive dysfunction than Whites with MS one year after admission. Despite significantly poorer physical performance, cognitive function, and more medical comorbidities, African Americans with MS did not receive significantly more therapies or medications than White residents with MS after one year in the facility.

Basic differences in MS expression and progression in African Americans appear to have to do with both genetic and environmental factors. Further study will help to clarify the reasons for these differences.