Photo Credit: Fizkes

In a study of mobility in more than 8,500 persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), latent-class growth analysis identified eight distinct trajectories for PS-Mobility and six for T25FW, with moderate agreement between the measures. The analysis by Farren B. Briggs, PhD, and colleagues used both the subjective Performance Scales Mobility PRO (PS-Mobility) and the objective Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25FW) Test over a 4-year period. Cross-sectionally PS-Mobility and T25FW were found to be highly correlated, but longitudinal correlation was modest to moderate. Certain factors, such as being Black/African American, older, a Medicaid beneficiary, living in deprived areas, having longer disease duration, progressive disease, and smoking, were associated with worse mobility outcomes. The findings highlight the need to integrate both subjective and objective measures to formulate a comprehensive assessment of mobility impairment in people with MS, according to the researchers.