COGNITIVE, CLINICAL AND IMAGE ANALYSIS OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS

Introduction: Benign Multiple Sclerosis (BMS) is still a controversial topic in literature, and this group of patients is still poorly understood. It is known that cognitive and non-motor symptoms are highly prevalent in patients with MS and can have an impact on the quality of life, even though it is not addressed by the EDSS. Objective: To investigate the characteristics of patients with BMS at a Tertiary Reference MS Center in Campinas – SP, Brazil, evaluating the presence of cognitive deficit, non-motor symptoms and quality of life. Methods: We included patients with EDSS below 3.0 and more than 10 years of disease duration. They underwent cognitive evaluation and assessment of mood disorders, fatigue, sleep and quality of life. A subgroup derived from the main group was also evaluated with more stringent criteria (15 years of disease duration and EDSS below 2.0). Results: Patients with BMS in this cohort were all female, having a low mean EDSS (1.56) and good performance on the T25FW and 9HPT motor tests. The prevalence of cognitive deficits was high, with 57.15% presenting impairment in at least one cognitive domain, with visual memory being the most affected (50%). The frequency of depression was 42.85%, significant fatigue was 42.85%, and problems at work were reported by 21.42%. The subgroup with more stringent criteria did not show better clinical performance, quality of life or better cognitive performance. Conclusion: This work shows the high prevalence of non-motor symptoms and cognitive impairment even in patients with MS classified as “benign”. Keywords: Benign Multiple Sclerosis, Cognition, Quality of life, Magnetic Resonance Imaging