Relationship of Smoking with Fatigue and Depression in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
Yasemin Ekmekyapar Fırat1
, Aylin Akçalı2, Sırma Geyik2, Gülsüm Çomruk3, Emine Kılıçparlar Cengiz4, Mehmet Erten5
1SANKO University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Gaziantep, Turkey
2Gaziantep University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Gaziantep, Turkey
3Hatay State Hospital, Clinic of Neurology, Hatay, Turkey
4Dr. Ersin Arslan Training and Research Hospital, Clinic of Neurology, Gaziantep, Turkey
5Medical Biochemistry Laboratory, Public Health Laboratory, Malatya, Turkey
Keywords: Multiple sclerosis, cigarette, fatigue, depression
Abstract
Objective: The relationship between smoking and the risk and progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) is known. We investigated the role of smoking on fatigue, depression, and disability in patients with MS.
Materials and Methods: Three groups were included in our study. These were smokers with MS (n=40), non-smokers with MS (n=40), and healthy smokers (n=50) groups. Patients were diagnosed as having MS according to the 2010 revised McDonald diagnostic criteria. This study used a sociodemographic follow-up form, the neurological fatigue index, Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence, and Beck depression inventory.
Results: We showed that MS patients felt more fatigue than healthy individuals, but there was no difference regarding fatigue levels between smokers with MS and non-smokers with MS. In addition, we determined that smoking increased the level of depression, or those with depression might be smoking more.
Conclusion: We believe that smoking is not associated with MS fatigue. However, smoking may be associated with the severity of patients’ depression.
This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Gaziantep University Faculty of Medicine on November 1, 2016, and the decision number 2016/11, date: 11.01.2016.
An informed consent form was obtained from all participants.
Externally peer-reviewed.
Concept: Y.E.F., A.A., Design: Y.E.F., A.A., Data Collection or Processing: Y.E.F., A.A., S.G., G.Ç., E.K.C., M.E., Analysis or Interpretation: Y.E.F., A.A., S.G., G.Ç., E.K.C., M.E., Literature Search: Y.E.F., A.A., Writing: Y.E.F., A.A.
No conflict of interest was declared by the authors.
The authors declared that this study received no financial support.