Employment status in people with multiple sclerosis: Profile, dynamic changes and determinants over time

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Occupational Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Employment is a key aspect of quality of life for individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS).
• Understanding factors influencing work status transitions is crucial for providing timely support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine work status changes in a large UK multiple sclerosis (MS) cohort.
• To identify demographic, clinical, and other factors associated with employment transitions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Trajectories of Outcome in Neurological Conditions-MS study.
• Employed regression and Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis to identify predictive factors for work disability, discontinuity, and drift.

Main Results:

• Observed annual increases in work disability (4.0%), discontinuity (3.1%), and drift (1.8%) among 1035 working individuals with MS.
• Identified increased risk of work disability associated with age, work instability, part-time work, and female sex.
• Found that discontinuity was influenced by MS subtype, cognitive impairment, comorbidities, and reduced by disease-modifying therapies.

Conclusions:

• Screening for individuals with MS at higher risk of employment loss is feasible in clinical practice.
• Facilitates multidisciplinary team discussions and appropriate referrals to support services.