Prevalence and correlates of morbidities and preventive care use in individuals with multiple sclerosis

In persons with multiple sclerosis (MS), disability-related concerns may displace other health concerns during routine health care visits. This may increase the risk for having physiological conditions, decrease health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and lower the likelihood of receiving preventive health care.;Cross-sectional survey data was compared with CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) national data. Participants included: veterans with MS, male (n=1,142) and female (n=163); general veterans (n=31,500) and general population (n=68,357). Bivariate comparisons were made by group (and within groups) and multivariate analyses (logistic regression and zero-inflated negative binomial models) were used to identify variables associated with conditions/services.;Findings revealed that physiological condition prevalence was higher in male veterans with MS than in general veterans (hypertension and stroke) and the general population (diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, stroke, prostate cancer); high cholesterol and hypertension affected nearly half of male veterans with MS. Disparities were notable with regard to stroke, in that stroke prevalence was higher in MS than both non-MS groups and differences persisted with increased age.;Fatigue, poor physical health, and pain occurred most frequently in persons with MS, indicative of the physical burden of this disease, and were associated with increased occurrence of other HRQoL unhealthy days. Female veterans with MS experienced more unhealthy days due to all except the physically-based symptoms (e.g., fatigue, poor physical health, and pain occurrence did not differ by gender) than did males. Individuals with a late diagnosis of MS reported more days of depression, fatigue, poor mental health, and poor physical health than those who aged with MS. Greater proportions of male veterans with MS than both non-MS groups received many preventive health services (five year cholesterol check, annual influenza vaccination, pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination (ever), and colon screening), but there is room for improvement in some areas.;Because research in this area is relatively scarce, these findings help bridge a gap in MS literature. The results of this study identified areas of unmet need and subgroups of individuals with MS that may be targeted for interventions to improve health and reduce disparities.