Manual Dexterity, Cognition Worse Among African American Patients With MS

African American patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) showed significantly worse performances in cognition and manual dexterity when compared to White patients with MS, according to findings published in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders.

Participants prospectively enrolled in the cross-sectional study included 120 patients with MS within 6 years from disease onset and 82 healthy controls between 18 and 70 years of age who self-identified as either African American or White.

For patients with MS, inclusion criteria included diagnosis of MS according to the revised McDonald criteria, relapsing-remitting phenotype, and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) <6.5.

Global disability or EDSS, quantitative finger dexterity (9-Hole Peg Test-9HPT), quantitative mobility and leg function (Timed 25 Foot Walk Test-T25FWT), and cognitive efficiency and speed performance (Symbol Digit Modalities Test-SDMT) were measured as outcomes.

Researchers assessed differences in disability outcomes by employing multivariable linear regression models. Covariates included race, age, gender, body mass index, comorbidities, years of education and total income based on their association with disability or MS.

Relative excess risk of interaction and attributable proportion was used to estimate the interaction between MS and race on disability outcomes.

“Accounting for age, gender, total income, education, body mass index and comorbidities,” researchers found, “African American people with MS showed significantly worse performances in manual dexterity and cognition than White people with MS (White people with MS coeff. 3.24, 95% CI 1.55, 4.92 vs African American people with MS coeff. 5.52, 95% CI 3.55, 7.48 and White people with MS coeff. -5.87, 95% CI -8.86, -2.87 vs African American people with MS coeff. -7.99, 95% CI -11.58, -4.38).”

Researchers noted that in disability severity, MS and race independently contributed to the observed gradient.

“Complex social disparities and systemic racism might contribute to clinical heterogeneity in MS,” concluded study authors.

Reference:
Petracca M, Palladino R, Droby A, et al. Disability outcomes in early-stage African American and White people with multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2022;69:104413. doi:10.1016/j.msard.2022.104413