Feasibility of intra-day blood biomarker and ecological momentary assessment collection in multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND

Identifying temporal patterns in fatigue, pain, and mood may improve our understanding of variability in pwMS. Implementing real-time self-report measures alongside repeated biomarker collection offers a more comprehensive and time-specific understanding of these dynamic biopsychosocial profiles.

OBJECTIVES

Feasibility of morning and evening venipuncture for biomarker collection, alongside completion of a 10-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA; or symptom e-diary) at multiple times per day, was evaluated in pwMS.

METHODS

Participants (N = 29) completed a baseline questionnaire. Of those, 28 completed EMA diaries measuring fatigue, pain, and mood three times per day over 10 days. Among them, 21 participants completed two blood samples within 12 h (08:00 and 20:00) and 23 participants completed a usability questionnaire. Recruitment capability, data collection procedures, acceptability of procedures, and proof of concept were assessed.

RESULTS

Overall compliance of EMA diaries and two blood collections was 57.1%. Seventy-two percent (21/29) of participants completed two blood draws within 12 h. Overall completion rate for e-diaries was 86.2%. EMA completion rates were higher on weekdays than weekends (p = 0.01).

DISCUSSION: Combined use of EMA diaries and venipuncture was feasible in pwMS. Self-report measures paired with blood biomarkers may identify symptom patterns to inform personalized treatment strategies.