Ansiedad y depresión en la esclerosis múltiple remitente-recidivanterelación con las alteraciones neuropsicológicas y la percepción subjetiva de deterioro cognitivo en pacientes con discapacidad mínima/leve.

  1. Teresa Olivares-Pérez 1
  2. Antonieta Nieto-Barco 1
  3. Moisés Betancort-Montesinos 1
  4. Yaiza Pérez Martín 1
  5. Miguel Ángel Hernández-Pérez 2
  6. José Barroso-Ribal 1
  1. 1 Universidad de la Laguna. La Laguna. Tenerife
  2. 2 Hospital Universitario Ntra. Sra. de Candelaria. S/C de Tenerife
Journal:
Revista Chilena de Neuropsicología

ISSN: 0718-0551

Year of publication: 2009

Volume: 4

Issue: 1

Pages: 44-51

Type: Article

More publications in: Revista Chilena de Neuropsicología

Abstract

Introduction. Anxiety and depression are common psychiatric symptoms among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. However, anxiety is relatively under-studied. Aims. To examine the associations of anxiety and depression with cognitive functioning and to evaluate their contribution to subjective cognitive impairment, after accounting for neuropsychological impairment. Subjects and methods. 33 patients with relapsing-remitting MS and minimal levels of disability were evaluated. Assessment measures: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS); Multiple Sclerosis Neuropsychological Screening Questionnaire-self report (MSNQ-S); Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Tests (BRB). We also assessed a group of 67 controls with the BRB. Results. Neuropsychological impairment was not significantly correlated to anxiety or depression. Increased severity of anxiety symptoms was remarkably related with low disease duration. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that anxiety and depression predicted MSNQ-S. Anxiety and depression were highly correlated. HADS total score predicted a similar amount of variance to subjective cognitive impairment, compared with independent anxiety and depression measures. Conclusions. In RR MS patients with minimal levels of neurological disability, cognitive complaints could be related with a component of general psychological distress common to anxiety and depression. Despite this overlap, our study highlights the importance of assessing and treating anxiety symptoms in the first years since onset.