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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Neurol.

Sec. Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1663778

Major Depressive Disorder in Multiple Sclerosis Associated with Differences in Disease Modifying Therapy and Demographics

Provisionally accepted
Nathanael  J LeeNathanael J Lee1,2Gavin  HuiGavin Hui3C. William  PikeC. William Pike3Kristin  GalettaKristin Galetta2Lucas  B KippLucas B Kipp2Jeffrey  DunnJeffrey Dunn2Scheherazade  LeScheherazade Le2S. Sai  FolmsbeeS. Sai Folmsbee2*
  • 1Division of Neuroimmunology and Neurological Infections, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA., Baltimore, United States
  • 2Stanford University, Stanford, United States
  • 3Atropos Health, New York, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) are often diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, there is a paucity of knowledge regarding the association between different demographic features and such co-diagnosis, as well as the clinical implications the co-diagnosis may carry. This study investigated whether specific demographics demonstrated any correlation with co-diagnosis of MS and MDD, and how MDD comorbidity may potentially impact clinical outcomes. In this single-center study, Black pwMS were more likely to have a MDD comorbidity, and Hispanic pwMS were less likely. MDD comorbidity in pwMS was associated with significantly increased time to disease-modifying therapy (DMT), with the greatest increase in time associated with individuals who received the MDD diagnosis after the MS diagnosis. Among inpatient pwMS, individuals with MDD comorbidity were associated with a decreased usage of MRI while hospitalized. Those who received MDD diagnosis prior to MS were associated with an even further decreased usage of inpatient MRI, and greater mortality. These findings suggest that patient demographics play an important role in how clinicians diagnose MDD in patients with MS. Furthermore, co-diagnosis of MDD may be an important variable that affects healthcare resource utilization and health outcomes.

Keywords: Multiple Sclerosis, Demographics, Disease Modifying Therapeutics, Depression, Epidemiology

Received: 10 Jul 2025; Accepted: 31 Aug 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Lee, Hui, Pike, Galetta, Kipp, Dunn, Le and Folmsbee. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: S. Sai Folmsbee, Stanford University, Stanford, United States

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