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Fatigue in multiple sclerosis and its relation with depression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2022

M. Ben Abdallah ,
I. Baati ,
A. Guermazi ,
F. Guermazi ,
S. Hentati ,
N. Farhat  and
J. Masmoudi
M. Ben Abdallah*
Affiliation:
Hedi Chaker University Hospital,, Department Of Psychiatry « A », Sfax, Tunisia
I. Baati
Affiliation:
Hedi Chaker University Hospital,, Department Of Psychiatry « A », Sfax, Tunisia
A. Guermazi
Affiliation:
Hedi Chaker University Hospital,, Department Of Psychiatry « A », Sfax, Tunisia
F. Guermazi
Affiliation:
Hedi Chaker University Hospital,, Department Of Psychiatry « A », Sfax, Tunisia
S. Hentati
Affiliation:
Hedi Chaker University Hospital,, Department Of Psychiatry « A », Sfax, Tunisia
N. Farhat
Affiliation:
Habib Bourguiba University Hospital, Department Of Neurology, Sfax, Tunisia
J. Masmoudi
Affiliation:
Hedi Chaker University Hospital,, Department Of Psychiatry « A », Sfax, Tunisia
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Fatigue is one of the most common and disabling symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). It can be defined as a subjective lack of physical and mental energy.

Objectives

To study the prevalence of fatigue in patients with MS and to determine the factors related to it, including depression.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study, which took place in the neurology department in Sfax (Tunisia). It focused on patients with MS in remission phase. We used the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) to determine the degree of disability caused by MS, the Chalder Fatigue Scale to evaluate the fatigue, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to assess depressive symptoms.

Results

The 93 patients included in the study had a mean age of 36.59 ± 10.69 years. The socio-economic level was low to medium in 52.7% of cases. The EDSS score ranged from 0 to 8 (median = 3.5). The total number of relapses ranged from 1 to 30 (median = 3.5). MS patients had fatigue in 72.4% of cases and depression in 26.9% of cases. Patients with a low to medium socio-economic level were more fatigued (p=0.027). High number of MS relapses, severity of disability on the EDSS, and presence of depression were associated with fatigue (p=0.014, p<10-3 and p=0.001, respectively).

Conclusions

In MS patients, fatigue is a common symptom. Patients with reduced physical activity and greater MS-related disability have more severe fatigue, which negatively affects psychosocial functioning, increasing the risk of depression.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Keywords

fatiguemultiple sclerosisDepression
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 65 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 30th European Congress of Psychiatry , June 2022 , pp. S461
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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