Reliability and Validity of the Arabic Version of Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis in Egyptian Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Despite growing awareness of cognitive issues in pediatric MS in recent years, there has been limited information to date concerning cognitive assessment tools. Cognitive impairment is consistently reported in approximately one-third of pediatric patients with MS. It can have important negative consequences on everyday functioning and school performance as well as social and professional attainment in adulthood. An early cognitive assessment is recommended in pediatric onset MS for appropriate counselling and management. The goal of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of Arabic version of the BICAMS in Egyptian Pediatric multiple sclerosis patients. Thirty Egyptian pediatric MS patients and 30 matched healthy controls underwent neuropsychological testing using the BICAMS Arabic version battery including the Symbol Digit Modality Test (SDMT), California Verbal Learning Test 2nd edition (CVLT-II), and revised Brief Visuospatial Retention Test (BVRT-R). Test– retest data were obtained from MS patients and controls 2 weeks after the initial assessment. Mean differences between both groups were assessed controlling for age, gender, and educational level. The MS patients scored significantly lower on the SDMT, CVLT-II, and BVMT-R tests compared to healthy controls (p value