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MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS IN AL-MADINAH AND JEDDAH CITIES OF SAUDI ARABIA: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Marwa M. Zalat, MD,Emad A Fallatah, Bedoor A Fallatah

Introduction: There is a growing body of evidence that suggests an increased incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Saudi Arabia. Pain is a common phenomenon in MS patients. The most common pain sites are the knees, wrist, and neck. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence, severity and, distribution of musculoskeletal pain among MS patients in AL-Madinah and Jeddah cities of Saudi Arabia. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study among patients with an established diagnosis of MS was conducted from January 2016 to July 2017. Random sample selection technique was employed and data were collected by questionnaire and interview. The statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS version 24 for windows. Results: We retrieved 155 responses from MS patients. Almost 90% of the patients had a relapsing/remittent MS and 59.4% of the included participants completed a university degree. Almost 72% of the included participants reported one or more episode of musculoskeletal pain. The most commonly reported site of pain was the lower back followed by leg and neck regions. The mean pain severity score was 12.67 ±12.33, with no statistically significant difference between different types of MS. our analysis showed that the pain severity score was not significantly correlated with any of the social-demographic factors. Conclusions: The prevalence of musculoskeletal pain among MS patients from Saudi Arabia is high, regardless of the type of MS. Further large-scale studies are needed to investigate the potential predictors of pain in MS patients from Middle East. Keywords: Multiple sclerosis; Musculoskeletal pain; Survey study; Prevalence.

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