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Feasibility of intra-day blood biomarker and ecological momentary assessment collection in multiple sclerosis
Mara Ll Majer1, Doriana Taccardi1, Hailey Gm Gowdy1
1Department of Biomedical & Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Stuart St, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada.
Background:
Identifying temporal patterns in fatigue, pain, and mood may improve our understanding of variability in pwMS. Implementing real-time self-report measures alongside repeated biomarker collection offers a more comprehensive and time-specific understanding of these dynamic biopsychosocial profiles.
Objectives:
Feasibility of morning and evening venipuncture for biomarker collection, alongside completion of a 10-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA; or symptom e-diary) at multiple times per day, was evaluated in pwMS.
Methods:
Participants (N = 29) completed a baseline questionnaire. Of those, 28 completed EMA diaries measuring fatigue, pain, and mood three times per day over 10 days. Among them, 21 participants completed two blood samples within 12 h (08:00 and 20:00) and 23 participants completed a usability questionnaire. Recruitment capability, data collection procedures, acceptability of procedures, and proof of concept were assessed.
Results:
Overall compliance of EMA diaries and two blood collections was 57.1%. Seventy-two percent (21/29) of participants completed two blood draws within 12 h. Overall completion rate for e-diaries was 86.2%. EMA completion rates were higher on weekdays than weekends (p = 0.01).
Discussion:
Combined use of EMA diaries and venipuncture was feasible in pwMS. Self-report measures paired with blood biomarkers may identify symptom patterns to inform personalized treatment strategies.
