SynthesisEuropean journal of medical research2023
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of non-pharmacological interventions on quality of life in adults with multiple sclerosis.
Synthesis in European journal of medical research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The Effects of Coffee/Caffeine in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis; A Systematic Review.Journal of evidence-based integrative medicinePooled it
- E-based physical exercise in patients with multiple sclerosis and comorbidity (COMPACT): feasibility study and protocol for a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Trial
- Assessing Shifts in Research Priority Areas From the Neurological Community Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2026Article
- Adjunctive strategies in multiple sclerosis treatment: non-pharmacological approaches and their potential clinical implications.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Review
- Scaling up an Evidence-Based Exercise Intervention for Wide-Scale Implementation: A Conceptual Roadmap Using the PRACTIS Framework.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Reconsidering Rehabilitation and Lifestyle Approaches to Improve Quality of Life in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Scoping Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Review
- Promoting Exercise as a Therapeutic Intervention in Multiple Sclerosis: Barriers, Efficacy, and Social Prescribing Strategies.Cardiology and cardiovascular medicine · 2026Article
- Health-related quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis in China: a national online survey.Health and quality of life outcomes · 2025Article
- Long-Term Management and Therapeutic Sequencing for Patients with Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis in France: A Vignette Study.Neurology and therapy · 2025Article
- Article
- Gamification-Based Interventions in Chronic Disease Care: A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials.Risk management and healthcare policy · 2025Review
- Impact of Anxious and/or Depressive Reactive State on the Effectiveness of Rehabilitation of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Article
- Impact of Cognitive Impairment on Quality of Life in Multiple Sclerosis Patients-A Comprehensive Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Editorial: Trends in neuroimmunology: cross-talk between brain-resident and peripheral immune cells in both health and disease.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Article
- The therapeutic potential of exercise for improving mobility in multiple sclerosis.Frontiers in physiology · 2024Review
- Managing multiple sclerosis in individuals aged 55 and above: a comprehensive review.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMultiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic debilitating disease that targets the central nervous system. Globally it is estimated that 2.8 million people live with MS (2018) and as there is no known cure; therefore, identifying methods to increase a patient's quality of life (QoL) is of considerable importance. Non-pharmacological interventions are a viable and effective option to increase QoL in patients with MS, however, to date, the literature lacks a complete systematic review of these interventions.
methodsA literature search was conducted for studies published up until March 4th 2022 in Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL Plus, The Cochrane Library, Medline, and Embase. Studies were included if they were randomized control trials (RCTs) assessing a non-pharmacological intervention in adults with MS and measured QoL using the MSQOL-54, SF-36 or MSQLI tools for at least two time points. Quality assessment of each study was completed as well as a review of publication bias. Where possible, meta-analysis was conducted using a random effects model and for other studies a qualitative synthesis was presented.
resultsThirty studies were included in the meta-analysis and eleven studies were summarized qualitatively. The pooled effects across all non-pharmacological interventions showed a modest improvement in both the physical and mental components of QoL, with a standardized mean difference (SMD) of 0.44 (95% CI 0.26-0.61) and 0.42 (95% CI 0.24-0.60), respectively. Non-pharmacological interventions based around a physical activity were found to be particularly effective in improving both the physical composite score (PCS) and mental composite score (MCS), with an SMD of 0.40 (95% CI 0.14-0.66) and 0.31 (95% CI 0.08-0.55), respectively. Interventions incorporating balance exercises presented a significant advantageous solution for improving QoL, with an SMD of 1.71 (95% CI 1.22, 2.20) and 1.63(95% CI 1.15-2.12) for PCS and MCS respectively.
conclusionsThis systematic review and meta-analysis identified that non-pharmacological interventions can be an effective method of improving QoL in patients with MS, especially modalities with a physical activity component and balance interventions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.