Longitudinal Effects of Sex, Aging, and Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis on Function.
Tracie C Harrison, Shelley A Blozis, Alexa K Stuifbergen and 1 others
PMID 37350697WHAT IT FOUND
Men with MS experienced faster functional decline over time.
Women showed greater year-to-year variability in function. Older adults had higher baseline limitation and more diverse trajectories. Sex and age shape how MS progresses differently.
Key findings
01Men had a significantly higher instantaneous rate of functional limitation increase compared to women.
02Women exhibited significantly greater year-to-year variability in functional limitation scores than men.
03Older age was associated with higher baseline functional limitation and greater between-person variation in the rate of acceleration of decline.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Sample was predominantly women (83%) and non-Hispanic White (93%), limiting generalizability to men and other racial groups. Functional limitation was measured by self-report, which may be influenced by mood or fatigue rather than pure physical capacity. Attrition was high, with only 63% of participants responding in the final year, and those who dropped out had higher baseline limitation. Environmental barriers and comorbidities were not measured, though they likely influence functional trajectories.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the sex differences as evidence that one sex is biologically 'worse' at coping. The finding that men had faster decline and women had more variability reflects self-reported trajectories in a specific cohort; it does not mean women's function is less stable in a clinical sense, nor does it account for unmeasured environmental or comorbidity factors.