Introduction: Cognitive disorders may bias perception of quality-of-life in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Methods: Neuropsychological tests (WAIS-vocabulary, Gröber and Buschke, Stroop, WCST, WAIS-similitude, fluency, Hamilton's depression scale) along with a French health-related quality of life self questionnaire for MS patients (the SEP59) were performed by 117 MS patients with a minor cognitive impairment (Mini Mental State over 24) in order to explore the links between quality of life perception and cognitive functioning.
Results: Main Component Analysis and correlation analysis showed that cognitive impairment produced an overrating of the self perception of quality of life. Threshold analysis, splitting patients between the most and the less cognitively impaired, confirmed this relationship.
Conclusion: The level of cognitive functioning must be considered with caution when analyzing health-related quality of MS patients.