Botchorishvili Nazibrola, Shiukashvili Nino, Mikeladze Nina, Dzagnidze Ann, Mikava Nino, Tighashvili Maia, Janelidze Marina
Tbilisi State Medical University, Vazha Pshavela Avenue 33, Tbilisi 0177, Georgia.
School of Natural Sciences and Medicine, Ilia State University, Kakutsa Cholokashvili Avenue 3/5, Tbilisi 0162, Georgia.
Neurol Res Int. 2021 May 27;2021:5591078. doi: 10.1155/2021/5591078. eCollection 2021.
Cognitive impairment (CI) is a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS), with a significant negative impact on the occupational and social functioning of patients. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and characteristics of CI among MS patients in Georgia. Sixty-eight patients with MS attending a neurology outpatient clinic in Tbilisi, Georgia, were enrolled in the study. Cognitive status was evaluated using two screening tools: the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. The overall prevalence of CI in our MS patients was 47%. We found negative associations between cognitive test results and patients' age, disability status, and depression. Lower education, higher scores on the Expanded Disability Status Scale, and the progressive course of MS were the main predictors of CI in the logistic regression analysis. This is the first study in Georgia to evaluate CI in patients with MS. The prevalence of CI in our study was comparable with those reported in other countries; however, we found greater impairment of the executive system compared to other cognitive domains. In our study, patients who were on continuous DMT showed significantly better performance on the cognitive tests used, indicating possible favorable effect of immunomodulatory drugs on cognition.
认知障碍（CI）是多发性硬化症（MS）的常见症状，对患者的职业和社会功能有重大负面影响。本研究旨在评估格鲁吉亚MS患者中CI的患病率及特征。68名在格鲁吉亚第比利斯一家神经科门诊就诊的MS患者纳入本研究。使用两种筛查工具评估认知状态：MS简易国际认知评估和蒙特利尔认知评估。我们的MS患者中CI的总体患病率为47%。我们发现认知测试结果与患者年龄、残疾状况和抑郁之间存在负相关。在逻辑回归分析中，低教育水平、扩展残疾状态量表得分较高以及MS的进展过程是CI的主要预测因素。这是格鲁吉亚第一项评估MS患者CI的研究。我们研究中CI的患病率与其他国家报告的患病率相当；然而，与其他认知领域相比，我们发现执行系统的损害更大。在我们的研究中，持续接受疾病修正治疗（DMT）的患者在所用认知测试中的表现明显更好，表明免疫调节药物对认知可能有有利影响。
