IS THERE AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN UPPER LIMB FUNCTION, FATIGUE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN INDIVIDUALS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS? CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Changes in the functions of the upper limbs in individuals with multiple sclerosis are prevalent and present themselves as a common complaint that limits the performance of basic and instrumental activities of daily living, considering the quality of life. To describe upper limb performance, quality of life and perception of fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis and identify possible relationships between variables. Descriptive cross-sectional study, with a non-probabilistic and courtesy sample, comprising two groups; people with multiple sclerosis, of both sexes and aged between 18 and 60 years and the second with healthy individuals, matched by age and sex. Recruitment through contact with associations of people with MS and wide dissemination, with posters and folders, in health services. Personalized assessment, including sociodemographic data; performance of the upper limbs through the Test d'Évaluation des Membres Supérieurs des Personnes Âgées instrument, which is composed of eight standardized tasks, which simulate daily activities scored through the sum of the time spent to perform them; quality of life using the Functional Determination Scale of Quality of Life in patients with MS composed of six domains: mobility, symptoms, emotional state, personal satisfaction, thinking and fatigue, social and family situation with scores ranging from 0 to 176; and fatigue with the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) instrument, which has 21 items and determines the effects of fatigue on cognitive, physical and psychosocial factors, its score varies from 0 to 84. The application of the instruments will be random for each participant. Statistical analyzes using descriptive measures to characterize the sample. To compare means between groups, Student's t-test or similar non-parametric test. Multiple linear regression, adjusted for gender and disease duration variables, to determine the possible influence of upper limb performance on quality of life and on fatigue. Excerpt from the clinical trial approved by the ethics committee (Opinion 4,918,584). From May to October 2022, 11 subjects were included in the study. The mean age of the participants was 35.73±9.76, the mean education was 16 ± 2.36 years of study and the mean time since diagnosis was 6.6 ± 4.58 years. Pearson's expressive test showed that there was no positive relationship between performance in the upper limb test and quality of life (r=-0.024 p=0.94) and positive and weak between upper limb fun