Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026
A Method of Trigonometric Modelling of Seasonal Variation Demonstrated with Multiple Sclerosis Relapse Data
Published on: December 9, 2015
Prospective examination of anxiety and depression before and during confirmed and pseudoexacerbations in patients
Michelle Nicole Burns1, Ewa Nawacki, Juned Siddique
1Department of Preventive Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
Objective:
This study was designed to determine whether pseudoexacerbations and confirmed MS exacerbations are preceded by or concurrent with increased anxiety or depressive symptoms.
Methods:
This was a secondary analysis of 121 patients with MS who were observed for 48 weeks during a randomized controlled trial. Participants completed monthly self-reports on depressive and anxiety symptoms. Patient-reported exacerbations were assessed through a telephone-administered symptom checklist and neurologic examination.
Results:
Both pseudoexacerbations and confirmed exacerbations were associated with concurrent somatic depressive (β = .16 and β = .33, respectively; p values < .05), affective depressive (β = .17 [p = .02] and β = .12 [p = .06]), and anxiety symptoms (β = .24 and β = .20, p values < .01), controlling for baseline symptoms. Preexisting somatic and affective depressive symptoms predicted amplified relationships between concurrent confirmed exacerbations and these symptoms (β = .19 and β = .20, respectively; p values < .01). A standard deviation increase in anxiety symptoms relative to baseline predicted subsequent onset of pseudoexacerbations (odds ratio = 1.54, p = .02), whereas increased somatic depressive symptoms predicted confirmed exacerbations (odds ratio = 1.59, p = .01).
Conclusions:
Patients with MS experiencing pseudoexacerbations or confirmed exacerbations should be assessed and monitored for depressive and anxiety symptoms, and confirmed exacerbations are particularly concerning in patients with a history of depression. The psychological or psychiatric antecedents of MS exacerbations generate new hypotheses on etiologies of confirmed exacerbations and pseudoexacerbations.
Trial Registration:
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00147446.
