Cognitive and depressive disorders in multiple sclerosis.

Among other symptoms, multiple sclerosis can also produce symptoms of affective and cognitive disorders. The majority of patients have certain cognitive dysfunctions, and the' most common affective disorder is reactive depression. The aim of the study was to determine the correlation of the Mini-Mental State (MMS) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scale scores with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score in patients with multiple sclerosis treated at University Department of Neurology, Sarajevo University Clinical Center in Sarajevo. We evaluated 50 randomly selected patients with various types of multiple sclerosis using the MMS, BDI and EDSS instruments. The study included 33 women and 17 men (66% : 34%), mean age 40.74 years (SD 9.236). The mean value of EDSS score was 3.98, ranging from 1.0 to 8.5 in women and from 1.0 to 6.5 in men. BDI scale scores showed a mean value of 12.56. The mean MMS score in baseline sample was 26.88. Statistically significant positive correlation was found between age and EDSS score, and negative correlation between EDSS and MMS, as well as between BDI and MMS. Study results indicated older patients with multiple sclerosis to have a higher EDSS score with more pronounced cognitive disturbances. There was no statistically significant correlation between EDSS score and depression.