Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40981257›Full record

ArticleNeuroSci2025

The Impact of Multiple Sclerosis on Work Productivity: A Preliminary Look at the North American Registry for Care and Research in Multiple Sclerosis.

Ahya Ali, Kottil Rammohan, June Halper, Terrie Livingston, Sara McCurdy Murphy, Lisa Patton, Jesse Wilkerson, Yang Mao-Draayer, On Behalf Of The Narcrms Healthcare Economics Outcomes Research Advisory Group

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In one paragraph

Article in NeuroSci, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Ahya AliDepartment of Neurology, Autoimmunity Center of Excellence, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Kottil RammohanDepartment of Neurology, Division of Multiple Sclerosis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA.
June HalperConsortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC), Hackensack, NJ 07601, USA.
Terrie LivingstonOctave Bioscience, Inc., Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.
Sara McCurdy MurphySocial & Scientific Systems, DLH Holdings Corp. Company, Silver Springs, MD 20910, USA.
Lisa PattonSocial & Scientific Systems, DLH Holdings Corp. Company, Silver Springs, MD 20910, USA.
Jesse WilkersonSocial & Scientific Systems, DLH Holdings Corp. Company, Silver Springs, MD 20910, USA.
Yang Mao-DraayerDepartment of Neurology, Autoimmunity Center of Excellence, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
On Behalf Of The Narcrms Healthcare Economics Outcomes Research Advisory Group

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveWe aimed to quantify multiple sclerosis (MS)-related work productivity and to illustrate the longitudinal trends for relapses, disease progression, and utilization of health care resources in a nationally representative cohort of working North Americans living with MS.

backgroundThe North American Registry for Care and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (NARCRMS) is a multicentered physician-reported registry which prospectively collects clinical information including imaging data over a long period of time from people with MS from sites across the U.S. and Canada. The Health Economics Outcomes Research (HEOR) Advisory Group has also incorporated Health-Related Productivity and Health Resource Utilization questionnaires, which collect information about health care economics of people with MS and its effects on daily life. DESIGN/

methodsThis is a prospective observational study utilizing data from NARCRMS. Socio-demographic, clinical, and health economic outcome data were collected through previously validated and structured questionnaires. Logistic regression was used to calculate the relative odds of symptom impact, with a generalized logit link for number of relapses. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate hazard ratios for time to first relapse.

resultsSix hundred and eighty-two (682) people with MS were enrolled in NARCRMS and had completed the HEOR questionnaires at the time of the analysis. Among the participants, 61% were employed full-time and 11% were employed part time. Fatigue was the leading symptom reported to impact both work and household chores. Among the employed participants, 13% reported having missed work with a median of 6.8 (IQR: 3.0-9.0) missed hours due to MS symptoms (absenteeism), while 35% reported MS having impacted their work output (presenteeism). The odds of higher disease severity (EDSS 2.0-6.5 vs. 0.0-1.5) were 2.29 (95% CI = 1.08, 4.88;

conclusionsA preliminary review of the first 682 patients showed that people with MS had reduced work and housework productivity even at an early disease state. Multiple sclerosis (MS) can significantly impair individuals' ability to function fully at work and at home, with fatigue overwhelmingly identified as the primary contributing factor. The economic value of finding an effective treatment for MS-related fatigue is substantial, underscoring the importance of these findings for policy development, priority setting, and the strategic allocation of healthcare resources for this chronic and disabling condition.

Indexed as

fatiguefinancial burdenhealth economics outcomes researchhealth resource utilizationmultiple sclerosiswork productivity

Identifiers

PMID40981257
PMCPMC12452424

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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.