@article{ref1,
title="Balance changes in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a pilot study comparing the dynamics of the relapse and remitting phases",
journal="Frontiers in neurology",
year="2018",
author="Findling, Oliver and Rust, Heiko and Yaldizli, Ozgur and Timmermans, Dionne P. H. and Scheltinga, Alja and Allum, John H. J.",
volume="9",
number="",
pages="e686-e686",
abstract="<b>Aims:</b> To compare balance changes over time during the relapse phase of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) with balance control during the remitting phase. <b>Methods:</b> Balance control during stance and gait tasks of 24 remitting-phase patients (mean age 43.7 ± 10.5, 15 women, mean EDSS at baseline 2.45 ± 1.01) was examined every 3 months over 9 months and compared to that of nine relapsing patients (age 42.0 ± 12.7, all women, mean EDSS at relapse onset 3.11 ± 0.96) examined at relapse onset and 3 months later. Balance was also compared to that of 40 healthy controls (HCs) (age 39.7 ± 12.6, 25 women). Balance control was measured as lower-trunk sway angles with body-worn gyroscopes. Expanded Disability Status Scale scores (EDSS) were used to monitor, clinically, disease progression. <b>Results:</b> Remitting-phase patients showed more unstable stance balance control than HCs (<i>p</i> < 0.04) with no worsening over the observation period of 9 months. Gait balance control was normal (<i>p</i> > 0.06). Relapsing patients had stance balance control significantly worse at onset compared to remitting-phase patients and HCs (<i>p</i> < 0.04). Gait tasks showed a significant decrease of gait speed and trunk sway in relapsing patients (<i>p</i> = 0.018) compatible with having increased gait instability at normal speeds. Improvement to levels of remitting patients generally took longer than 3 months. Balance and EDSS scores were correlated for remitting but not for relapse patients. <b>Conclusions:</b> Balance in remitting RRMS patients does not change significantly over 9 months and correlated well with EDSS scores. Our results indicate that balance control is a useful measure to assess recovery after a relapse, particularly in patients with unchanged EDSS scores. Based on our results, balance could be considered as additional measurement to assess recovery after a relapse, particularly in patients with unchanged EDSS.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1664-2295",
doi="10.3389/fneur.2018.00686",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2018.00686"
}