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CC BY 4.0 · Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2025; 83(05): s00451809400
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1809400
Original Article

The impact of multiple sclerosis on wellbeing, productivity, and societal relations

Vinicius Eduardo Vergani 
1   Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo SP, Brazil.
,
Bruna Rocha Silveira 
2   Amigos Múltiplos pela Esclerose, Guarulhos SP, Brazil.
,
Gustavo San Martin Elexpe Cardoso 
2   Amigos Múltiplos pela Esclerose, Guarulhos SP, Brazil.
,
Jean Faber 
3   Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Disciplina de Neurociências, São Paulo SP, Brazil.
,
Denis Bernardi Bichuetti 
4   Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Disciplina de Neurologia, São Paulo SP, Brazil.
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Abstract

Background

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the main cause of nontraumatic neurological disabilities in the population under 50 years of age.

Objective

To evaluate the most prevalent symptoms in a national sample of people with MS and to analyze their correlation with disease characteristics, demographics, quality of life, employment status, and use of social benefits.

Methods

Cross-sectional, online, self-reported survey, concerning demographic and clinical data, employment status, and use of social benefits.

Results

A total of 466 patients answered the survey. The median age at onset was 30 years, the current age, of 39, and disease duration was 8 years. Furthermore, the median patient determined disease steps (PDDS) was 2, which indicates minor to moderate disability. The median MS impact and walking scale scores were 31 and 20%, which denotes minor to moderate quality of life and mobility compromise. Among the participants, 43% suffered fatigue and 51% reported not sleeping well. Unemployed patients had delayed diagnosis and higher disability rates. Furthermore, half of the unemployed patients are receiving some social benefit, compared with only 6.5% of the employed patients.

Conclusion

The current study presents symptom prevalence in a national sample of patients with MS and discloses that those with a diagnosis delay and more disability have higher rates of unemployment and use of social benefits. Strategies for earlier diagnosis and better treatment plans can not only reduce patient disability but, possibly, increase employment retention and reduce the use of social benefits.

Keywords

Multiple Sclerosis - Employment - Insurance, Disability - Social Impact Indicators - Disability Studies

Authors' Contributions

Conceptualization: VEV, BR, GSME, JF, DBB; Data curation: VEV, DBB; Formal analysis: VEV, JF, DBB; Investigation: VEV, GSME, DBB; Methodology: VEV, BR, GSME, JF, DBB; Project administration: VEV, DBB; Validation: JF; Writing - original draft: VEV, DBB; Writing - review & editing: VEV, BR, GSME, JF.


Data Availability Statement

Data will be available on demand to authors, a condition justified in the manuscript.


Editor-in-Chief: Hélio A. G. Teive 0000-0003-2305-1073.


Associate Editor: Tarso Adoni 0000-0002-5008-2783.




Publication History

Received: 13 June 2024

Accepted: 11 March 2025

Article published online:
20 June 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Bibliographical Record
Vinicius Eduardo Vergani, Bruna Rocha Silveira, Gustavo San Martin Elexpe Cardoso, Jean Faber, Denis Bernardi Bichuetti. The impact of multiple sclerosis on wellbeing, productivity, and societal relations. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2025; 83: s00451809400.
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1809400