MS is bad for Employment

Tauhid S, Chu R, Sasane R, Glanz BI, Neema M, Miller JR, Kim G, Signorovitch JE, Healy BC, Chitnis T, Weiner HL, Bakshi R. Brain MRI lesions and atrophy are associated with employment status in patients with multiple sclerosis. J Neurol. 2015 Jul. [Epub ahead of print]

Multiple sclerosis (MS) commonly affects occupational function. We investigated the link between brain MRI and employment status. Patients with MS (n = 100) completed a Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) (general health version) survey measuring employment status, absenteeism, presenteeism, and overall work and daily activity impairment. Patients "working for pay" were considered employed; "temporarily not working but looking for work," "not working or looking for work due to age," and "not working or looking for work due to disability" were considered not employed. Brain MRI T1 hypointense (T1LV) and T2 hyperintense (T2LV) lesion volumes were quantified. To assess lesional destructive capability, we calculated each subject's ratio of T1LV to T2LV (T1/T2). Normalized brain parenchymal volume (BPV) assessed brain atrophy. The mean (SD) age was 45.5 (9.7) years; disease duration was 12.1 (8.1) years; 75 % were women, 76 % were relapsing-remitting, and 76 % were employed. T1LV, T1/T2, Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores, and activity impairment were lower and BPV was higher in the employed vs. not employed group (Wilcoxon tests, p < 0.05). Age, disease duration, MS clinical subtype, and T2LV did not differ between groups (p > 0.05). In multivariable logistic regression modeling, adjusting for age, sex, and disease duration, higher T1LV predicted a lower chance of employment (p < 0.05). Pearson correlations showed that EDSS was associated with activity impairment (p < 0.05). Disease duration, age, and MRI measures were not correlated with activity impairment or other WPAI outcomes (p > 0.05). We report a link between brain atrophy and lesions, particularly lesions with destructive potential, to MS employment status.
There is ample evidence that MS is associated with loss of employment and we all know that the level of brain lesions is going to impact on disability. 

So put the two together and surprise, surprise more blog folder that you hate to read, but gives us column inches when we are looking for content.

Remember was we said at both correlations. 

Really is this stuff boring? ..The post linking MS susceptibility to owning a cat has had the most views  (50,000 and rising) ever

http://multiple-sclerosis-research.blogspot.com/2014/10/now-cats-are-risk-factor-for-ms.html

Was this because it linked high-heeled shoes to psychosis

Then we had standing on the start line  (initially with no photo)

http://multiple-sclerosis-research.blogspot.com/2015/07/standing-on-start-line.html an unfinished post about a 10K run, said absolutely nothing but it got 18,000 views in a day

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