title: Patients with multiple sclerosis present low levels of empathy.
abstract: METHODS
  This is a single center, cross-sectional study, of 34 patients with MS and 34 matched control subjects. A specific questionnaire (empathy quotient) was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with MS showed significantly lower levels of empathy. This finding was not correlated with disease duration, degree of disability, drugs for treating MS or lesion load on resonance magnetic imaging.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Decreased empathy is a frequent condition in patients with MS and should be addressed in order to diminish the psychosocial burden of this neurological disease.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Católica de Santos, Departamento de Psicologia, Santos SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Marcos Barbosa de
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: Universidade Católica de Santos, Departamento de Psicologia, Santos SP, Brasil.|Universidade Metropolitana de Santos, Programa de Pós-Graduação, Santos SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Luana Carramilo
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Going
authors.affiliation: Universidade Metropolitana de Santos, Programa de Pós-Graduação, Santos SP, Brasil.|Universidade Metropolitana de Santos, Departamento de Neurologia, Santos SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Yara Dadalti
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Fragoso
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000523:psychology*; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires