Comparison of energy consumption in different clinical forms multiple sclerosis with normal subjects (cohort study)

Abstract Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common joint disorders that influence walking performance. Objectives The objectives are to determine if energy consumption of three different clinical forms of MS differs from each other. Is there any difference between MS and normal subjects? Is there an association between the Physiological Cost Index (PCI) and the Expanded Disability States Scale (EDSS)? Methods MS subjects (EDSS>4) were separated in three groups based on the Ashworth and Ataxia scales, including ataxic ( n =16), spastic ( n =15) and ataxic-spastic ( n =14). In addition, 13 age-and-gender-matched healthy subjects were used as the control group. A Heart Rate (HR) Polar Electro Finland was used to record the heart rate during resting and walking. The energy consumption was measured based on PCI. ANOVA, MANOVA, Post-hoc Tukey analysis and Pearson correlations were used for statistical analysis ( P