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To date, no studies have explored the prevalence of these symptoms in a large multicenter outpatient setting. The aims of the present study are to assess: (i) the prevalence of BD in a large multicenter Italian MS population, and (ii) the correlation between clinico-demographic variables and the severity of BD.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Each of the nine participating center screened MS patients prospectively: 1100 subjects were enrolled. All patients underwent the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and completed the Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction score (NBDs). Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were used to assess the association between NBDs and several clinico-demographic variables.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Fourteen percent of MS patients showed a moderate\/severe BD (NBDs\u2009&gt;\u200910); this percentage increased in patients with high disability, ranging from 26 to 32%. Moderate\/severe BD was more frequent in MS patients with: progressive phenotypes, higher disability, older age, and longer disease duration. NBDs severity was predicted by female sex, ambulation impairment and bladder symptoms.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study confirms the relatively high prevalence of moderate\/severe BD in a large, multicenter, unselected, outpatient MS population. BD appears to be mainly associated to female sex and MS-related disability.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1007\/s00415-021-10737-w","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,4]],"date-time":"2021-08-04T02:02:57Z","timestamp":1628042577000},"page":"1610-1617","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":22,"title":["Prevalence and predictors of bowel dysfunction in a large multiple sclerosis outpatient population: an Italian multicenter study"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"269","author":[{"given":"Bisecco","family":"Alvino","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fornasiero","family":"Arianna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bianco","family":"Assunta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cortese","family":"Antonio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"d\u2019Amico","family":"Emanuele","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mataluni","family":"Giorgia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sinisi","family":"Leonardo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Spitaleri","family":"Daniele","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Docimo","family":"Renato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria Chiara","family":"Buscarinu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mirabella","family":"Massimiliano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sebastiano Giuseppe","family":"Crisafulli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zangh\u00ec","family":"Aurora","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carolina","family":"Gabri Nicoletti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Salvetti","family":"Marco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Baione","family":"Viola","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Patti","family":"Francesco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alessandra Girolama","family":"Marfia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sibilia","family":"Grazia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Scarano","family":"Valentina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Orlando","family":"Davide","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stabile","family":"Giovanni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tedeschi","family":"Gioacchino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2203-6237","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antonio","family":"Gallo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"10737_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"79","DOI":"10.2147\/DNND.S138835","volume":"8","author":"G Preziosi","year":"2018","unstructured":"Preziosi G, Gordon-Dixon A, Emmanuel A (2018) Neurogenic bowel dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis: prevalence, impact, and management strategies. 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A.F. and A.B. report no disclosures. A.C. received speaker honoraria from Biogen, Sanofi Genzyme, Teva and travel grants from Biogen, Merck, Sanofi Genzyme, Teva; advisory boards member honoraria from Biogen, Merck, Novartis, Teva. E.D. received speaking honoraria from Bayer, Biogen, Merck, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi and TEVA. G.M. received honoraria for consulting services\/travel grants from Biogen, Merck Serono, Sanofi-Genzyme, Teva, Roche and Novartis. L.S. received honoraria for consulting services\/travel grants from Merck, Novartis, Biogen. D.S. reports no disclosures. R.D. received speaker\u2019s honoraria and\/or compensation for consulting service and\/or speaking activities from Roche, Merck, Novartis and Almirall. M.C.B. report no disclosures. M.M. has served on scientific advisory boards for Bayer Schering, Biogen, Sanofi Genzyme, Merck-Serono, Novartis, Teva, Mylan, and has received consulting and\/or speaking fees, research support and travel grants from Almirall, Bayer Schering, Biogen, CSL Behring, Sanofi Genzyme, Merck Serono, Novartis, Teva, Ultragenix. He is also the principal investigator in clinical trials for Biogen, Merck Serono, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, CSL Behring. S.G.C. and A.Z. report no disclosures. C.G.N. received honoraria for consulting services\/travel grants from Biogen, Merck Serono, Sanofi-Genzyme, Teva, Roche, Mylan and Novartis. M.S. receives research support and has received fees as the speaker from Sanofi-Aventis, Biogen, Bayer Schering and Merck. V.B. report no disclosures. FP has served on scientific Advisory Boards for Almirall, Bayer, Biogen, Celgene, Merck, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi and TEVA; he also received speaker honoraria from the same companies and research grants for his department by Biogen and Merck. Marfia Girolama Alessandra is an Advisory Board member of Biogen Idec, Genzyme, Merck-Serono, Novartis, Teva and received honoraria for speaking or consultation fees from Almirall, Bayer Schering, Biogen Idec, Merck Serono, Novartis, Sanofi-Genzyme, Teva. She is the principal investigator in clinical trials for Actelion, Biogen Idec, Merck Serono, Mitsubishi, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi-Genzyme, Teva. G.S., V.S., D.O. and G.S. report no disclosures. G.T. has received compensation for consulting services and\/or speaking activities from Bayer Schering Pharma, Biogen Idec, Merck Serono, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries; and receives research support from Biogen Idec, Merck Serono, and Fondazione Italiana Sclerosi Multipla. A.G. received honoraria for speaking and travel grants from Biogen, Sanofi-Aventis, Merck Serono, Genzyme, Teva, Bayer-Schering and Novartis.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Conflicts of interest"}},{"value":"This study was approved by local Ethic Committees. All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethical approval"}},{"value":"Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.","order":4,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Consent to participate"}},{"value":"A signed informed consent was obtained from all participants.","order":5,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Consent for publication"}}]}}