Outcome Measures in Clinical Trials in Multiple Sclerosis

Clinical outcome measures are critical to the assessment of disease status and progression for clinical trials and other research in multiple sclerosis (MS). The need for valid, objective, quantitative, and reliable measures in MS has long been recognized (1-3), and new outcome measures continue to be developed (4-7). The most commonly used scales in MS measure impairment (objective clinical signs and symptoms), disability (personal limitations on activities of daily living imposed by the impairment), or health-related quality of life (HRQOL- an individual's assessment of how a health problem and its treatment affect his/her ability to perform activities and roles that he/she values).