AUTHOR=Wang Han , Wang Rongrong , Zhao Runze , Zhang Gaopan , Zhang Guoxun , Zhao Xiongfei 

TITLE=Fatigue and its correlation with anxiety and depression in patients with multiple sclerosis in China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1604540

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2025.1604540

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=BackgroundMultiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive, immune-mediated disease of the central nervous system. Fatigue is a common and disabling symptom in patients with MS (PwMS). Some psychological factors, such as depression, stress, and anxiety, also appear to be related to these issues.ObjectivesThe study aimed to investigate the fatigue conditions of PwMS in China and its influencing factors, as well as to explore the correlation between fatigue with anxiety and depression.MethodsThis study was a cross-sectional study conducted through the Internet, which collected demographic characteristics, clinical data, Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II).ResultsA total of 366 PwMS were included in this study. MFIS showed a median fatigue total score of 40.0 (interquartile range [IQR] 26.0–52.0), with 55.7% (n = 204) of patients experiencing fatigue. The scores on MFIS were positively correlated with age, disease duration, BAI score, and BDI-II score.ConclusionThe prevalence of fatigue among Chinese PwMS is 55.7%. Age, education, employment, marital status, type of disease, and disease duration are all factors influencing the fatigue rate in PwMS. Fatigue in PwMS exhibit strong positive correlations with depression and anxiety.