Comorbidities are prevalent and detrimental for employment outcomes in people of working age with multiple sclerosis

Abstract

Background: More work is needed to understand the burden of comorbidities in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Objective: To assess prevalence of 30 comorbidities and impacts of comorbidities on employment outcomes in a working-aged MS cohort. Methods: Participants were from the Australian MS Longitudinal Study (n = 929). Information on specific comorbidity was obtained (whether or not each was present, doctor-diagnosed, limited their activities and being treated). Results: Comorbidities most frequently reported to limit activities were osteoarthritis (51%), migraines (40%), anxiety (33%), depression (29%) and allergies (18%). Mean MS-related work productivity loss in past 4 weeks was 1.3..