DEPRESSION IN CAREGIVERS OF PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS IS ASSOCIATED WITH PATIENTS’ DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS

Abstract

Background and Purpose: To evaluate depression in a consecutive sample multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and their respective caregivers and to investigate the impact of caregivers’ depressive symptoms to
the patients’ depressive symptoms and vice versa.

Methods: We included data from 94MS patients and their consecutive caregivers.We assessed the
depression of MS patients and their caregivers using the HAM-D (Hamilton Scale for Depression). The disability status of the patients was assessed using the EDSS(Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale).
Results: Depression in caregivers of MS patients is negatively correlated with education status and
positively with female sex. In multivariable linear regression analysis on the association of baseline characteristics with patients’ Hamilton scale scores the patients’ depressive symptoms were also found to be
inversely correlated with a higher education level(coefficient = -1.88; 95%CI -3.16, -0.61; p = 0.004) and
positively associated with the patients’ disability status, assessed with the EDSS score (coefficient = 1.04,
95%CI: 0.49, 1.59; p < 0.001). Opposed to caregivers, patients' depressive symptoms was independently
correlated to the caregivers' depressive symptoms (coefficient = 0.29; 95%CI: 0.11, 0.47; p = 0.002).
Conclusion: Caregivers depressive symptoms, which seem to have a negative impact on patients’ depression should be carefully monitored and treated, because together with burden and caregivers psychological difficulties can affect negatively their supportive role while increase patients depressive symptoms
with negative impact in their quality of life and adjustment to MS.