Highlights
- •The present study investigates psychological aspects of patients with NMOSD compared to healthy individuals.
- •Patients with NMOSD significantly suffered from psychological disorders compared to healthy controls.
- •These disorders should be thoroughly examined to offer more effective therapies in this regard.
Abstract
Background
Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD), commonly characterized by affecting
optic nerves and spinal cord can be regarded as one of uncommon diseases of the central
nervous system. Although the evidence presented in the literature supports cognitive
impairments, psychological aspects of the disease and its association with various
manifestations of the disease have not been thoroughly studied. Therefore, the present
study was conducted to investigate psychological aspects of patients with NMOSD compared
to healthy individuals.
Materials and Methods
The patients’ demographic information including their age and gender as well as the
information about their disease including duration of the symptoms, the age at onset
of symptoms, and NMO antibody status were collected using a specific questionnaire.
Then, age- and gender-matched control participants that neither themselves nor their
relatives had mentioned disease were included in the study. Then, Symptom Checklist-90
(SCL-90) test was administered to both groups.
Results
A total of 36 patients including 32 females and 4 males participated in the NMOSD
group. In the control group, 37 healthy individuals including 30 females and 7 males
took part in the study. Findings of the present study indicated that, patients with
NMOSD significantly suffered from psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety,
hostility, and somatization compared to healthy controls. The phobic anxiety and psychoticism
showed trends toward being worse. However, obsessive compulsive symptoms, interpersonal
sensitivity and paranoid ideation did not have significant differences between the
two groups.
Conclusion
According to results of the present study, as psychological disorders are common among
patients with NMOSD, they should be thoroughly examined to offer more effective therapies
in this regard. In addition, the psychological manifestations of NMOSD may influence
patients’ relationship, occupation and treatment compliance. So, evaluation of these
factors is important in these patients.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 03, 2020
Accepted:
April 12,
2020
Received in revised form:
April 6,
2020
Received:
November 17,
2019
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
