title: Magnitude and concurrence of anxiety and depression among attendees with multiple sclerosis at a tertiary care Hospital in Oman.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Anxiety, 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.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive 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.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty 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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Disability 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman. alasm@squ.edu.om.
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Asmi
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 35, Al-Khoudh 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. salrawahi99@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Salim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al-Rawahi
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 35, Al-Khoudh 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. moqbali33@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Zahir Saif
authors.initials: ZS
authors.lastname: Al-Moqbali
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, Sultan Qaboos University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Muscat, Oman. ymfarsi@squ.edu.om.
authors.forename: Yahya
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Al-Farsi
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman. drmdessa@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Musthafa M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Essa
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 35, Al-Khoudh 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. may.bouri@gmail.com.
authors.forename: May
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: El-Bouri
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 35, Al-Khoudh 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. roopakoshy08@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Roopa P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Koshy
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman. grarunoday@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Arunodaya R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Gujjar
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman. Jacobpc@squ.edu.om.
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Jacob
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman. abeera@squ.edu.om.
authors.forename: Abeer
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Hodar
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 35, Al-Khoudh 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. adawi@squ.edu.om.
authors.forename: Samir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al Adawi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D009850:Oman / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D007155:Immunologic Factors; D016899:Interferon-beta