Magnitude and concurrence of anxiety and depression among attendees with multiple sclerosis at a tertiary care Hospital in Oman

Abstract

BackgroundAnxiety, depression and functional impairments are commonly reported by persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) but no data, to our knowledge, has emerged from an Arab Islamic population. The study aims to investigate the prevalence of anxiety, depression and related disabilities among PwMS attending tertiary care in Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH), one of the urban hospitals in Oman.MethodsConsecutive and consenting PwMS (n = 57) and healthy subjects (n = 53) completed the following measures: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) which was used to measure anxiety (cut-point >7) and depression (>7); and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) to measure the level of disability (≥5). Characteristics such as socio-demographic and clinical variables were also explored.ResultsFifty seven subjects with multiple sclerosis (MS) met the inclusion criteria. The majority of them were females who were 40 years old or younger and the majority were employed and unmarried. Approximately 86 % of the participants were using beta interferon, 96 % scored ≥5 in EDSS. MS of the Relapsing-Remitting type constituted the majority of the cohort (94 %). Approximately 35 % and 51 % endorsed symptoms of anxiety and depression respectively. The MS group scored significantly higher than controls on HADS measurements of depression and anxiety.ConclusionDisability and symptoms of anxiety and depression are common among the PwMS attendees of tertiary care hospital in Oman. Such psychosocial variables have been largely unreported emerging from non-western populations. As these variables are strong indicators of the burden of MS, resolute effort is needed to address such psychosocial dysfunctions in the algorithms of care for PwMS in the Arab Islamic part of the world.

Multiple Sclerosis, Anxiety, and Depression in the United Arab Emirates

“…Only one pilot study has been conducted on the link between depression and MS in the UAE. 15 However, that study did not find an increased rate of depression, unlike several studies in other Arab countries, 15,16 possibly due to the small sample size and single-center nature of the study. The present study aimed to examine these findings in a multicenter study with a larger sample size and explore the differences in depression as a function of demographic variables and disease characteristics.…”

A global view of comorbidity in multiple sclerosis: a systematic review with a focus on regional differences, methodology, and clinical implications

“…Most of the studies were cohort studies without control subjects and overall, global prevalence rates for depression and anxiety ranged from 21.1-59.4% to 28.1-57.0% for depression and anxiety, respectively. Several studies reported depression at ~ 35% [40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49] and anxiety at ~ 55% in PwMS [43][44][45][46][49][50][51][52], and exceptionally low rates were observed for studies performed in Abu Dhabi (10.8-17.5% for depression and 4.8-20.0% for anxiety) [53,54]. Jun-O'Connell et al reported an increased prevalence of bipolar disorder in PwMS in a cohort from the US (type 1 was more significantly more prevalent than type 2 in the study group: 60% versus 30%, respectively), although this study lacked a control group.…”

Factors Associated with Anxiety-Related Disorders in Children and Adolescents during COVID-19 in Oman: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…There is evidence to suggest a tendency to lean towards a 'collective' social orientation, which is in contrast to 'individualistic' social orientation commonly found in Western countries. To preserve social harmony, according to Al Asmi et al [ 43 ], "such a society tends to discourage the expression of emotion and therefore relegates emotional distress. Instead, distress is expressed in somatic terms, a feat that is orthogonal to what may constitute emotional distress in the psychiatric nomenclature…" (p.6).…”