Depression and unexplained somatic symptoms in multiple sclerosis: MRI and quality of life correlates

Abstract

Background Medically unexplained symptoms (MUSs) are considered a huge burden on both physicians and patients alike and can be regarded as a form of multiple sclerosis (MS) mimic, which should be carefully investigated together with other psychiatric comorbidity-like depression and anxiety in MS patients to overcome its negative influence on patients’ quality of life. Aim The aim of our thesis research was to determine the rate of comorbidity between MS, the unexplained somatic symptoms and depression, and correlation with MRI findings, and to study the impact of the unexplained somatic symptoms, depression and disabilities on quality of life in patients with MS. Patients and methods This study was conducted on 30 patients and 30 controls. All patients were evaluated by clinical assessment and radiological assessment using MRI of brain and spine. Both patients and controls were evaluated by Patient Health Questionnaire-15 for unexplained somatic symptoms, Beck Depression Inventory for depression and 36-item Short Form Health Survey for health-related quality of life. Conclusion MS patients had an increased incidence of medically unexplained somatic symptoms and depression versus the matched normal participants, which in turn was responsible for the decline of their quality of life. Most MUS in MS patients resulted from the burden of the primary disease. However, the probability of whether these MUS could be a relapse could not be confirmed or excluded.