Correlation between fatigue and self-esteem in patients with multiple sclerosis

OBJECTIVE: To assess the possible association of fatigue with self-esteem in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. METHOD: Thirty patients were prospectively assessed. None of them presented moderate or severe depression or anxiety and their degree of disability was low (EDSS<3.5). They had been clinically stable for at least three months and had been receiving the same medication for at least six months. Socioeconomic level was assessed. Severity of fatigue and self-esteem were evaluated using specific, validated scales. Patients with moderate to severe anxiety and/or depression were excluded. RESULTS: Low self-esteem correlated with fatigue (p=0.01), but not with any other variables, such as age, gender, EDSS, MS duration, number of relapses, mild depression and/or anxiety. CONCLUSION: Greater severity of fatigue in MS correlates with low self-esteem, thus suggesting that this chronic complaint that affects so many patients can interfere with the way in which they see and value themselves.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Fragoso,Yára Dadalti, Silva,Érika Oliveira da, Finkelsztejn,Alessandro
Format:	Digital revista
Language:	English
Published:	Academia Brasileira de Neurologia - ABNEURO 2009
Online Access:	http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2009000500007
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!