Impact of autologous hematopoetic stem cell transplantation on the quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the impact of autologous hematopoetic stem cell transplantation (autoHSCT) in the health related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with multiple sclerosis. METHOD The sample consisted of 34 patients, over 18 years old, treated at a University Hospital in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. For data collection MOS SF-36 and EDSS scales were applied at three time points: admission of the patient, hospital discharge and 1 year posttransplantation. RESULTS 27 patients (79%) showed stabilization or neurological improvement 1 year posttransplantation. At this time point, there was statistically significant improvement in all domains of the HRQoL. When EDSS scores were correlated with the domains of the MOS SF-36 scale, statistically significant correlations were found with physical functioning at the three time points analysed. CONCLUSION In spite of the high risk of complications of the procedure, the HSCT had positive impact in the health related quality of life.