Men and Women With MS Perceive Functional Trajectories Differently

Perceptions of functional limitation changes among aging adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) may differ by patient sex, suggests a study published in Nursing Research.

“A gap in research about the trajectories of function among men and women aging with functional limitations because of MS hinders ability to plan for future needs,” wrote corresponding author Tracie C. Harrison, PhD, RN, FAAN, FGSA, a professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, and study coauthors.

To gain insight into how male and female patients with MS report functional changes over time, researchers looked at the longitudinal effects of self-reported function over the course of a decade. Participates were community dwellers, primarily non-Hispanic White women, around 51 years of age at the study’s start. Most were diagnosed with MS about 13 years earlier.

Women tended to report lower functional limitations over time than men, according to the study. Compared with men, however, women had higher rates of acceleration in functional limitation scores. Women also had greater between-person variation than men.

“Variability in trajectories between individuals based on sex and years since diagnosis of disease indicates that men and women with MS may experience perceptions of their function with age differently,” researchers wrote. “This has implications for clinician advice to men and women with MS.”

Reference: 
Harrison TC, Blozis SA, Stuifbergen AK, Becker H. Longitudinal effects of sex, aging, and multiple sclerosis diagnosis on function. Nurs Res. 2023;72(4):281-291. doi: 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000656