FEELING OF HAPPINESS IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND COMORBIDITY

Purpose: As the feeling of happiness in multiple sclerosis (MS) is not investigated in Bulgaria yet, we decided to reveal some essential features of this non-motor symptom in multiple sclerosis patients with and without comorbidity. Material/Methods: We examined 80 MS patients, 56 females and 24 males, at a mean age of 49 years. Forty of them presented with multiple sclerosis alone, and 40 did with multiple sclerosis and accompanying diseases. Health-related quality of life was assessed by means of Short Form-36 questionnaire and Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Questionnaire with 54 items. Results: We established a lower frequency of feeling of happiness reported in MS patients with comorbidity. There were statistically significant positive correlations between the health status self-assessment and MS influence upon the feeling of happiness (R=0.428; p