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The prevalence of anxiety and associated factors in persons with multiple sclerosis
Tram Pham1, Nathalie Jetté2, Andrew G M Bulloch3
1Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1; The Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1.
Background:
The prevalence of anxiety and its association with sociodemographic and clinical factors is not well characterized in those with multiple sclerosis (MS). We aimed to estimate the prevalence and examine associated factors of anxiety in persons with MS.
Methods:
A cross-sectional analysis was conducted utilizing data from 244 participants from the Neurological Disease and Depression study. Anxiety was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression was used to examine anxiety and associated factors.
Results:
Nearly 30.0% of participants had anxiety according to the HADS. The most prevalent symptom of anxiety was "worrying thoughts" (26.6%). After adjustment for various confounders, depression (OR: 7.31 95% CI 3.29-16.26) was found to be associated with higher odds of anxiety, while lower odds of anxiety were associated with higher education (OR: 0.51, 95% CI 0.28-0.94). Furthermore, anxiety was strongly associated with decreased quality of life.
Conclusion:
Anxiety represents a substantial burden for those with MS and is associated with a variety of adverse outcomes including decreased quality of life. Our results further emphasize the importance of understanding the impact of anxiety in this population.
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