title: The effects of fatigue, depression and the level of disability on the health-related quality of life of glatiramer acetate-treated relapsing-remitting patients with multiple sclerosis in Hungary.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The common symptoms of multiple sclerosis are fatigue, depression, cognitive dysfunction, pain and sexual dysfunction, which influence the health-related quality of life of the patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to determine the correlations between the health-related quality of life, the level of disability, fatigue and depression in glatiramer acetate-treated patients with multiple sclerosis in Hungary.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Hungarian versions of the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life-54, Fatigue Impact Scale and Beck Depression Inventory questionnaires were completed by 428 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients treated with glatiramer acetate from 19 Hungarian centers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of fatigue was found to be 62.4%. The prevalence of depression was lower (13.4%) than that described in previous studies (36-54%) among patients with multiple sclerosis. Significant differences in the health-related quality of life were found between fatigued and non-fatigued patients. The level of disability, fatigue, depression and the duration of the disease correlated significantly with the quality of life. However, linear regression analysis indicated that the quality of life was predicted by the level of disability, depression, social and cognitive fatigue, but not by physical fatigue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Decreasing the disease activity in multiple sclerosis with immunomodulatory therapy, together with improvements of the diagnostics and treatment of the accompanying depression and fatigue are of high priority to improve the health-related quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Centre, University of Szeged, 6 Semmelweis Str., 6725 Szeged, Hungary. Electronic address: fricskanagy@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Zsanett
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fricska-Nagy
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Centre, University of Szeged, 6 Semmelweis Str., 6725 Szeged, Hungary. Electronic address: judit.fuvesi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Judit
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Füvesi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Ferenc Jahn Hospital of South-Pest, 1 Köves Road, 1204 Budapest, Hungary. Electronic address: rozsa.csilla@jahndelpest.hu.
authors.forename: Csilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rózsa
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, 2 Rét Str., 7623 Pécs, Hungary. Electronic address: komoly.samuel@pte.hu.
authors.forename: Sámuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Komoly
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Uzsoki Street Hospital, 29-41 Uzsoki Str., 1145 Budapest, Hungary. Electronic address: jakabgbp@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Gábor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jakab
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 98 Nagyerdei Str., 4012 Debrecen, Hungary. Electronic address: csepany@edu.med.unideb.hu.
authors.forename: Tünde
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Csépány
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Bács-Kiskun County Hospital, 38 Nyíri Road, 6000 Kecskemét, Hungary. Electronic address: zitajobbagy@freemail.hu.
authors.forename: Zita
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jobbágy
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of Szeged, 30-34 Petőfi S. Str., 6722 Szeged, Hungary. Electronic address: lencses@socio.u-szeged.hu.
authors.forename: Gyula
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lencsés
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Centre, University of Szeged, 6 Semmelweis Str., 6725 Szeged, Hungary; MTA-SZTE Neuroscience Research Group, Szeged, Hungary. Electronic address: vecsei.laszlo@med.u-szeged.hu.
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vécsei
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Centre, University of Szeged, 6 Semmelweis Str., 6725 Szeged, Hungary. Electronic address: bencsik.krisztina@med.u-szeged.hu.
authors.forename: Krisztina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bencsik
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005221:Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D000068717:Glatiramer Acetate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011788:Quality of Life
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D000068717:Glatiramer Acetate
keywords: Depression; Fatigue; Health-related quality of life; Immunomodulatory therapy; Multiple sclerosis