Objective:

To investigate the mediating effects of symptom clusters on the relationship between anxiety/depression and quality of life (QOL) among Chinese patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD).

Approach:

Key Findings:

• Patients with NMOSD had a QOL score of 97.76 ± 8.24.
• Significant negative correlations were found between anxiety/depression and QOL.
• Anxiety showed complete mediation via somatosensory and motor symptom clusters, and partial mediation through bladder-rectal symptoms.
• Depression demonstrated complete mediation through somatosensory, motor, visual-memory, and bladder-rectal symptom clusters.
• Sleep-related symptom clusters did not show significant mediating effects.

Interpretation:

Symptom clusters may mediate the associations between anxiety/depression and QOL, highlighting the importance of considering both psychological distress and physical symptoms in NMOSD patients.

Limitations:

• Study limited to a specific population in China, which may affect generalizability.
• Cross-sectional design limits causal inferences.

Conclusion:

Future research is needed to validate these findings in larger, diverse cohorts and to explore targeted interventions aimed at optimizing functional outcomes in this population.

Sources:

• Frontiers in Neurology
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