title: In multiple sclerosis anxiety, not depression, is related to gender.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a high prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders in multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease 2.5 times more frequent in females. Contrary to the general population, in whom studies have demonstrated higher rates of depression and anxiety in females, little is known about the impact of gender on psychiatric sequelae in MS patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We conducted a retrospective study to try to clarify this uncertainty.
  
  
  METHODS
  Demographic, illness-related and behavioral variables were obtained from a neuropsychiatric database of 896 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of MS. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were obtained with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Gender comparisons were undertaken and predictors of depression and anxiety sought with a linear regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HADS data were available for 711 of 896 (79.35%) patients. Notable gender differences included a higher frequency of primary progressive MS in males (p = 0.002), higher HADS anxiety scores in females (p < 0.001), but no differences in HADS depression scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In MS, gender influences the frequency of anxiety only. This suggests that the etiological factors underpinning anxiety and depression in MS are not only different from one another, but also in the case of depression, different from those observed in general population samples.
authors.affiliation: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Canada/MS Clinic Saint Michael's Hospital, Canada.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Théaudin
authors.affiliation: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Canada.
authors.forename: Kristoffer
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.affiliation: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Canada ant.feinstein@utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Feinstein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Multiple sclerosis; anxiety; depression; gender