No correlation found between depression, self-reported disability in MS

Key takeaways:

• The result was contrary to the hypothesis of direct correlation between depression and MS-related disability.
• Future research should focus on recognizing, treating depression for those with MS.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — No correlation was found between depression and self-report of disability in a small group of patients with multiple sclerosis, according to a poster from ACTRIMS 2024.

“(We looked at) depression screening in multiple sclerosis and to help determine if there was any correlation between level of depression and self-perceived level of disability,” Caitlin Chapman, DO, adult neurology resident in the department of neurology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, told Healio.

Chapman and colleague Lauren Tardo, MD, assistant professor in the department of neurology at UT Southwestern, sought to examine depression and disability in underserved and underinsured individuals with MS.

Their study involved a retrospective chart review of 224 adults admitted to Parkland Hospital in Dallas and subsequently followed up by the hospital’s neurology department. A total of 89 individuals — many of whom were Hispanic and responded to Spanish-language surveys — answered both the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to assess depression symptoms and the Patient Determined Disease Steps (PDDS) survey to measure MS-related physical disability.

Patient information included for analysis was demographic information (based on age, sex, race, ethnicity, native language), along with date of symptom onset and diagnosis, current disease-modifying therapies, BMI and ambulatory status.

According to results, no correlation was found between PHQ-9 score and PDDS in the study population, contrary to their hypothesis of direct correlation. Data showed a trend between higher PHQ-9 score and higher PDDS that the researchers described as being not statistically significant.

Chapman and Tardo suggested future efforts include more data for additional analysis with a larger sample size and aimed to determine correlations between PDDS and the aforementioned patient information including existing comorbidities.

“It’s very important to know and to be able to treat depression in patients with multiple sclerosis as it’s more than 50% of the patient population,” Chapman told Healio. “And does have an effect on ability to perceive their depression or disability and multiple other comorbidities.”