Advisory Committee Chair
Stacey S Cofield
Advisory Committee Members
Lloyd J Edwards
Mark Beasley
Hemant K Tiwari
Angela M Stowe
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2021
Degree Name by School
Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) School of Public Health
Abstract
The aim of this dissertation is to determine whether depression is associated with clinical (relapses and disability worsening) and MRI outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS) by conducting a secondary data analysis of the CombiRx clinical trial. Psychiatric comorbidities, including depression are common in people living with MS (PwMS), often underreported, and contribute to reduced quality of life and mortality associated with the disease. Most clinical studies that have examined the relationship between depression, depression medication usage, and MS outcomes have been small, excluded participants with relapsing-remitting subtypes and severe depressive symptoms, and had relatively short study periods—all shortcomings this thesis addresses. Here, we investigate the associations among depression history (prevalence), depression medication usage, depression reporting (by clinical exam or self-report scale) and MS outcomes. We also make recommendations for the improvement of health-related quality of life of PwMS. Each depression-related component and its association with disease activity was summarized using multivariable linear and Cox regression, along with generalized estimating equations (GEE) for repeated measures. Depression history and depression medication usage were associated with an increase in disability worsening. Self-reported depression was associated with a decrease in disability worsening and an increased hazard of disability worsening. Our results indicate the need for more consistent and systematic comorbidity tracking mechanisms in clinical trials and indicate that the presence of comorbid depression or history of depression medication usage is not sufficient to capture the scope of a psychiatric comorbidity. Participants must be asked about their mental health status. Access to participant health data will help healthcare practitioners identify and treat comorbidities in a timely and comprehensive manner, which may help slow disease worsening and improve quality of life for PwMS. Studies which investigate comorbidity severity and MS outcomes are warranted.
Recommended Citation
Glenn, Christina J., "Mental Health And Chronic Disease Management: Examining The Association Between Depression And Multiple Sclerosis (Ms) Outcomes" (2021). All ETDs from UAB. 795.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/795