Pharmacopsychiatry 2007; 40 - A188
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-991863

Longitudinal association between health-related quality of life and personality factors in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

H Krampe 1, C Bartels 1, D Victorson 2, CK Enders 3, J Beaumont 2, D Cella 2, H Ehrenreich 1
  • 1Division Klinische Neurowissenschaften, MPI für Experimentelle Medizin, Göttingen
  • 2Center on Outcomes, Research and Education (CORE), Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, Evanston, Illinois, USA
  • 3Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA

Objectives: (1) To perform a prospective long-term follow-up of health-related quality of life (QOL) in ALS patients and (2) to investigate the relationship of personality factors with course of QOL and disease progression. Methods: Longitudinal data on QOL were collected prospectively for 12 months from 31 ALS patients. Monthly self-ratings of global QOL and of seven health-related QOL functions, as well as ALSFRS (ALS Functional Rating Scale) scores were analyzed using a linear mixed model approach. Results: QOL and ALSFRS scores decreased during follow-up. More agreeable patients, despite similar total duration of disease, had higher QOL at the beginning of the follow-up period but their decline of QOL over time was significantly steeper than that of less agreeable patients, finally displaying lower QOL and faster disease progression. Conclusions: These findings suggest that disagreeableness might serve as a protective personality factor with respect to QOL and disease progression in ALS.