Comorbidities of multiple sclerosis patients and the effects of these comorbidities on the clinical course of the disease

Introduction: MS is a chronic and degenerative central nervous system disease. We know that especially in the course of this disease, it is seen in young ages. However, due to the fact that most of these patients are young, it is often overlooked and forgotten that there may be different comorbidities. There are some studies to explain prevalence and content of these comorbidities, and also its contribution to the course of the disease. Multiple Sclerosis and it's comorbidities direct physicians to different approaches to treat and follow-up of this disease. In this study, we examined the frequency of these comorbidities and its effect on the course of disease in MS patients. We aimed to create and contribute to the literature of our country and the world in the treatment and follow-up of MS patients. Materials and Methods: This study a prospective study included 89 Multiple Sclerosis patients who were followed up in Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University Neurology Clinic between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020. We recorded the clinical and demographic characteristics of these patients. We re-examined their neurological examinations at the time of the interview and noted their disability by calculating their EDSS scores. Furthermore, we questioned their comorbidity in details and made it important that these comorbidities were correctly diagnosed by the physicians Results: This study included 89 Multiple Sclerosis patients, 55 were female and 34 were male patients. There was no significant difference between the female and male sexes between the duration of the disease and the scores of EDSS. However, the relationship between EDSS scores and the age of patients was significant at an advanced level (p=0.000). Of the 89 patients, 72 patients had RR MS (80.9%), 11 patients had PP MS (12.4%), and 6 patients had SP MS (%6,4). The longest duration of the disease was in SP MS patients (15.33±9.04 years), the shortest duration of disease was in RR MS patients (6.58±5.01 years). The relationship between MS course and EDSS scores was significant (p=0.000). The highest EDSS scores were in patients with SP MS (7.58±0.91), while RR MS patients had lowest EDSS scores (3.24±1.46). In patients with high EDSS scores, the incidence of comorbidities was higher (p=0.006). The most common comorbidities in our study were psychiatric comorbidities (48.3%) followed by comorbidities of the gastrointestinal tract (19.1%). The most common neurological comorbidities were epilepsy (4.5%) and dementia (4.5%). Conclusion: Determining and evaluating the comorbidities of Multiple Sclerosis patients will help physicians significantly in the managing of disease correctly and assessment of the patients completely