Determine of Fatigue, Emotional Appetite, Nutritional Habits and Depression Status in Patients Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

This study was planned to determine the relationship between fatigue, emotional appetite and eating habits of with depression individuals in patients relapsing remitting Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The research was carried out on a total of 60 individuals, 30 outpatients (Patient Group: PG) with relapsing remitting Multiple Sclerosis (MS) ranging from 19-64 years, who were admitted to the Erciyes University Medical Faculty Hospitals Neurology Outpatient Clinic and 30 healthy volunteers (Control Group: CG) with similar characteristics between November 2019 and February 2020. In order to determine the general characteristics, health information and nutritional habits of the individuals, a questionnaire form was applied by the researcher by face to face interview method. In order to determine the food intake, energy level and nutritional habits of individuals, a 24-hour food consumption record and food consumption frequency were taken. The Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) was used to evaluate the fatigue level of the individuals, the Emotional Appetite Questionnaire (EAQ) to determine their emotional appetite, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to assess the state of depression. Body weight, height, waist and hip circumference measurements were taken by the researcher. The average age of the individuals in PG was found to be 38.73 ± 9.9 years, and those in CG as 38.20 ± 9.7 years. The average age of MS diagnosis of individuals in PG is 29.7 ± 10.5 years. The Body Mass Index (BMI) value of 33.3% of individuals in PG and 13.4% of individuals in CG is in the range of 25.0-29.99 (p> 0.05). 46.7% of individuals in PG and 43.3% of individuals in CG have two main meals a day. The majority of the individuals in both groups (PG: 50%, CG: 42.9%) stated that the reason for skipping meals was due to lack of appetite (p> 0.05). Those in PG provide 48.3 ± 7.9% of the energy, 43.1 ± 7.9% of those in CG from carbohydrates, 36.4 ± 6.7% of those in PG, 40.3 ± 7.3% of those in CG from fat (p <0.05). The mean BDI score was 11.4 ± 6.8 in PG and 2.5 ± 1.9 in CG (p <0.05). The EAQ negative score average of those in PG is 47.7 ± 16.2, for those in CG it is 46.1 ± 16.2 (p> 0.05). The mean FSS score of the individuals in PG is 50.9 ± 14.1, and it is 27.9 ± 8.7 (p <0.05). A negative correlation was found between the FSS and BDI scores of PG and vitamin B12 intake (p <0.05). As a result, it has been determined that MS has a negative effect on nutrition and causes depression and fatigue. Individuals with MS should be closely monitored in terms of nutrition and they should be ensured to consume a healthy and balanced diet that suits their needs. Keywords: Nutrition, depression, emotional appetite, multiple sclerosis, fatigue