The results of a study conducted in Germany among 1,399 patients with autoimmune myasthenia and 1,042 of their caregivers show :
- the high frequency of depression (30.8%) and anxiety (35.5%) in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire and their under-diagnosis;
- treatment was more often by medication (57.8%) than by psychotherapy (35.5%);
- a negative impact of depression on both the quality of life of patients and on the burden felt by their carers as assessed by the Burden Scale for Family questionnaire.
For the authors, the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric comorbidities should be considered an important part of the care of patients with myasthenia.
