Body composition in ambulatory patients with multiple sclerosis

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Orthopedics
• Metabolic Medicine

Background:

• Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease affecting bone health.
• Body composition and bone mineral density (BMD) changes are potential complications in MS.
• Understanding these changes is crucial for managing long-term patient health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition between ambulatory multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and healthy controls.
• To investigate potential correlations between body composition, BMD, and disease severity (EDSS) or corticosteroid use in MS patients.

Main Methods:

• Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used to measure total body composition and BMD.
• Participants included 68 ambulatory MS patients (EDSS ≤ 6.5) and 114 control subjects.
• Body composition parameters included fat mass (F%), lean mass (L%), and bone mineral mass (M%).

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences in F%, L%, M%, or BMD were found in the whole body, arms, or trunk between MS patients and controls.
• Female MS patients exhibited increased F% and reduced L% in lower extremities compared to controls.
• No correlations were observed between body composition, BMD, and EDSS score or cumulative corticosteroid dose.

Conclusions:

• Ambulatory MS patients, particularly females, may have altered lower extremity body composition, indicating a potential increased risk for osteoporosis.
• Short-term corticosteroid use in MS exacerbations did not appear to cause significant adverse effects on body composition or BMD.
• Further research is warranted to explore the long-term implications of these findings on bone health in MS.