Alexithymia in multiple sclerosis: relationship with fatigue and depression.
Acta Neurol Scand
; 118(1): 18-23, 2008 Jul.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-18162056
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of alexithymia in a sample of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and to further evaluate the association between alexithymia and the occurrence of common disabling MS-related symptoms such as fatigue and depression.METHODS:
Fifty-eight relapsing-remitting MS patients treated with interferon (IFN)-beta-1a underwent a complete neurological evaluation, including Expanded Disability Status Scale score assessment. Alexithymia, depressive symptoms and fatigue were assessed using the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Beck Depression Inventory and Fatigue Severity Scale.RESULTS:
Prevalence of alexithymia was 13.8%, with 27.6% of patients presenting borderline alexithymia. Sixty-seven per cent of the patients complained of fatigue while 29.3% of them were depressed. Higher levels of fatigue and depression were found in alexithymic patients when compared with non-alexithymic patients. Results from logistic regressions showed that alexithymia significantly contributes to the severity of fatigue and depression.CONCLUSIONS:
Alexithymia was associated with increased severity of fatigue and depression.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Sintomas Afetivos
/
Transtorno Depressivo
/
Fadiga
/
Esclerose Múltipla
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
/
Incidence_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Acta Neurol Scand
Ano de publicação:
2008
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Itália