Physical activity is related to disease severity and fatigue, but not to relapse rate in persons with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis - a self-reported questionnaire based study

Marit L Schlagheck; Sven T Hübner; Niklas Joisten; David Walzik; Annette Rademacher; Florian Wolf; Jens Bansi; Clemens Warnke; Philipp Zimmer

doi:10.3389/fneur.2023.1217000

Physical activity is related to disease severity and fatigue, but not to relapse rate in persons with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis - a self-reported questionnaire based study

Front Neurol. 2023 Jul 31:14:1217000. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1217000. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Marit L Schlagheck¹, Sven T Hübner², Niklas Joisten¹, David Walzik¹, Annette Rademacher^{2

3}, Florian Wolf^{2

4}, Jens Bansi^{5

6}, Clemens Warnke⁷, Philipp Zimmer¹

Affiliations

¹ Division of Performance and Health, Institute for Sport and Sport Science, Technical University Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany.
² Department for Molecular and Cellular Sports Medicine, Institute for Cardiovascular Research and Sports Medicine, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
³ Marianne-Strauß-Klinik, Behandlungszentrum Kempfenhausen für Multiple Sklerose Kranke gGmbH, Berg, Germany.
⁴ Neurological Rehabilitation Centre Godeshöhe, Bonn, Germany.
⁵ Department of Research and Development, Kliniken Valens, Valens, Switzerland.
⁶ Department of Health, OST - Eastern Swiss University of Applied Sciences, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
⁷ Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.

Abstract

Introduction: Based on theoretical models, physical activity has been introduced as a promoting method to mitigate the disease severity, fatigue and relapse rate in multiple sclerosis. The primary objective of the study was to investigate the relation between self-reported physical activity level and disease severity, fatigue and relapse rate in persons with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

Methods: A survey was offered to persons with RRMS from March 2019 to August 2021 (n = 253). Physical activity level, fatigue and disease severity were determined using the Godin Leisure-Time Questionnaire (GLTEQ), the Patient Determined Disease Steps (PDDS) scale and the Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive Functions (FSMC). Additionally, participants' relapse rate was recorded.

Results: Bivariate correlations revealed an inverse relation between physical activity level and PDDS (ρ = -0.279; p < 0.001) as well as between physical activity and FSMC (r = -0.213, p < 0.001), but not between physical activity and relapse rate (r = 0.033, p > 0.05). Multiple linear regression analyses explained 12.6% and 5.2% of the variance of PDDS and FSMC.

Conclusion: Our findings confirm a relation between self-reported physical activity, disease severity and fatigue in persons with RRMS. However, self-reported physical activity level does not seem to affect the annualised relapse rate.

Keywords: disease severity; fatigue; multiple sclerosis; physical activity; relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis.