Contributions
Abstract: EP1723
Type: Poster Sessions
Abstract Category: Therapy - Others
Background: The increased knowledge on disease and ameliorated diagnostic criteria have anticipated the diagnosis of MS very early after the onset, when a person is quite young. The diagnosis of MS might worry young people in a period of life characterized by important choices about careers, family and future in general.
Goals: Our aim is to comparison the vision of young people with and without MS in terms of life prospects, inclusion and social participation, access to education and work, health needs and responses. In addition, we compared the present results with the one obtained in 2005 in a similar study.
Methods: We interviewed 613 young adults (18-40 years) with MS (PwMS) and 1.003 young adults without MS (PwoMS) living in Italy. The composition of the two groups reflects those of the reference universe, so in the sample of PwMS, women represents the 78.5%. Both samples receive the same structured questionnaire, with an added section on the disease for PwMS. The PwoMS received a telephone interview whereas the group with MS participated to a Computer Assisted Web Interviewing survey open to all users of the site of Italian patient association, or to a direct interview, always conducted by the association.
Results: About happiness, 1 young in 2 claims to be quite happy, 1 in 4 not very happy, over 1 in 8 very happy, 1 in 20 not happy at all, with few differences in the two groups. The comparison with the survey of 2005 highlights a significant decrease in the number of young self-defined happy (very happy from 15.6% to 9.9% and quite happy from 65.5% to 56.1%), while among the PwMS there are very limited variations.Analyzing the declared health status, most of young declare good or excellent health conditions (67.1% define their status as good and 22.7% as excellent, while 9.5% declare a mediocre condition and 0.7% not good). Data on PwMS are similar to PwoMS, although the conditions declare by PwMS are clearly less positive, and a lower percent between the youngest considers its level of health excellent. The comparison between 2005 highlights an improvement in the health conditions perceived in young people especially in those with MS.
Conclusion: The improvement of perceived health in PwMS is another proof of the progress of MS treatments in the last 15 years, which led to a perception of a clear improvement in the health status declared by PwMS, which moreover appears transversal to all the conditions of disability.
Disclosure: Battaglia: nothing to disclose
Vaccaro: nothing to disclose
Bandiera:nothing to disclose
Messmer Uccelli: nothing to disclose
Bezzini: nothing to disclose
Abstract: EP1723
Type: Poster Sessions
Abstract Category: Therapy - Others
Background: The increased knowledge on disease and ameliorated diagnostic criteria have anticipated the diagnosis of MS very early after the onset, when a person is quite young. The diagnosis of MS might worry young people in a period of life characterized by important choices about careers, family and future in general.
Goals: Our aim is to comparison the vision of young people with and without MS in terms of life prospects, inclusion and social participation, access to education and work, health needs and responses. In addition, we compared the present results with the one obtained in 2005 in a similar study.
Methods: We interviewed 613 young adults (18-40 years) with MS (PwMS) and 1.003 young adults without MS (PwoMS) living in Italy. The composition of the two groups reflects those of the reference universe, so in the sample of PwMS, women represents the 78.5%. Both samples receive the same structured questionnaire, with an added section on the disease for PwMS. The PwoMS received a telephone interview whereas the group with MS participated to a Computer Assisted Web Interviewing survey open to all users of the site of Italian patient association, or to a direct interview, always conducted by the association.
Results: About happiness, 1 young in 2 claims to be quite happy, 1 in 4 not very happy, over 1 in 8 very happy, 1 in 20 not happy at all, with few differences in the two groups. The comparison with the survey of 2005 highlights a significant decrease in the number of young self-defined happy (very happy from 15.6% to 9.9% and quite happy from 65.5% to 56.1%), while among the PwMS there are very limited variations.Analyzing the declared health status, most of young declare good or excellent health conditions (67.1% define their status as good and 22.7% as excellent, while 9.5% declare a mediocre condition and 0.7% not good). Data on PwMS are similar to PwoMS, although the conditions declare by PwMS are clearly less positive, and a lower percent between the youngest considers its level of health excellent. The comparison between 2005 highlights an improvement in the health conditions perceived in young people especially in those with MS.
Conclusion: The improvement of perceived health in PwMS is another proof of the progress of MS treatments in the last 15 years, which led to a perception of a clear improvement in the health status declared by PwMS, which moreover appears transversal to all the conditions of disability.
Disclosure: Battaglia: nothing to disclose
Vaccaro: nothing to disclose
Bandiera:nothing to disclose
Messmer Uccelli: nothing to disclose
Bezzini: nothing to disclose