MS Fatigue_Therapy · Objectively Measuring MS Fatigue
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2016-05-15 → 2018-05-14
- EU contribution
- €159,461
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-CAR
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Objectively Measuring MS Fatigue
Multiple Sclerosis is the most common debilitating disease in young adults worldwide, diagnosed in over 2.3 million people. Though many daily symptoms are common in MS, 80% of persons with MS report experiencing debilitating tiredness. Further, this MS-specific tiredness is the most disabling symptom amongst ambulatory persons with MS and is identified as having the most significant impact on both ability to work and quality of life. Hippotherapy—an internationally-recognized therapeutic method utilizing horseback riding and certified instructors—has been shown to improve many daily debilitating symptoms in persons with multiple sclerosis. The overall objectives of this project were twofold: 1) investigate whether and how hippotherapy impacts the daily symptomology of persons with MS, and 2) investigate whether a standardized test of movement behavior yielding robust data (i.e. BAST, Behavior Analysis Statistics and Test) can be utilized to diagnose and measure the symptom commonly known as “MS fatigue”. Conclusions of the hippotherapy study show that persons with MS report many physical improvements as well as improvements in quality of life after four months of hippotherapy sessions. This information was best communicated by subjects' written answers to open-ended questions rather than in numerically-rated data. The data of the hippotherapy study are currently informing ongoing movement behavior analyses of a diverse group of patients with MS, including patients who utilize mobility aides such as rollators and wheelchairs. It is predicted that the outcomes of this continuing work will have long-lasting clinical impact on patients with MS. In the case of the second objective, this work highlights that both measurement and treatment of “MS fatigue” is highly complex and in great need of evolution in order to address the growing rates of MS incidence, associated disability, and social impact. Further, strategies for measuring the impact of therapies with obvious advantages (i.e., hippotherapy) require careful consideration.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common debilitating disease in young adults worldwide. Diagnosed in over 2.3 million people, this neuro-immunological disease is most prevalent in Europe and North America, with over 120,000 diagnosed cases in Germany alone. Great strides have been made in developing medications that slow disease progression, however, the daily symptomatology of MS remains largely untreated. This research proposes investigations of (1) an instrument for objectively measuring MS fatigue and (2) a therapeutic methodology for MS fatigue and disability. Despite great individual variation in MS symptomatology, “MS fatigue” verges on characteristic, reported by 80% of patients. However, there is currently no standardized means of evaluating or treating MS fatigue. Movement Behavior Analysis and Scales Test (i.e., BAST) tests and pre- and post-test vital signs of 40 persons with MS will be compared to that of 40 neurotypical matched controls. If the BAST is shown to reliably measure MS fatigue, then a testing and rating system for large-scale clinical use will be developed. To test the ability of the BAST to measure changes in MS fatigue and categorize physical disability, a long-term controlled study of the impact of hippotherapy (i.e., therapeutic horseback riding) will be undertaken in 24 individuals with MS. The standardized BAST will afford a robust analysis of movement ability and disability, enabling measurement of symptoms including gait, balance, spasticity, and fatigue. To achieve project objectives while facilitating ample mentorship, this project brings together the movement research facilities and faculty of the German Sport University Cologne (including mentor Dr. Hedda Lausberg, creator of the BAST), researchers and hippotherapists at the Gold-Kraemer Foundation Center for Physical Activity and Sport, and an internship at the University of Cologne Department of Neurology and Center for Palliative Medicine.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- DEUTSCHE SPORTHOCHSCHULE KOLN · KolnCoordinatorGermany
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union