Abstract General Information

Title

CLINICAL PROFILE OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS AT FIRST NURSING CARE IN A NORTHEAST SPECIALIZED MS CENTER

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system causing significant disability in young people and burden on health system. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical profile of MS patients at the first nursing visit. METHODS: A review of 75 records of first nursing care at the MS outpatient clinic at General Hospital of Fortaleza dating from 2009 to year 2015. RESULTS: in relation to patients perception, 20% (15) of the patients stated that they knew nothing about the disease. 16% (12) had some sleep disorder, such as: difficulty initiating sleep 66.6% (8), insomnia due to disease modifier drug adverse reaction 25% (3) and impaired sleep due to nocturia 8.3% (1). 44% (33) reported some type of pain, among them: headache 51.51%(17); back pain 42.42% (14); pain in upper limbs 9.09% (3); pain in lower limbs 9.09% (3); cramps 6.06% (2); pain in the eyes 6.06% (2). Time between the onset of symptoms and MS diagnosis, considering patients who took less than one year to close the diagnosis compared to the total attended patients by year, was: 04 of 12 patients in 2009; 05 of 11 in 2010; 5 of 13 in 2011; 10 of 13 in 2012; 05 of 10 in 2013; 08 of 11 in 2014 and 03 of 6 in 2015; 40 of 75 during all period. CONCLUSION: Sleep disorders and pain are frequent symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis at first visit. Although MS has had broad media divulgation and established criteria (at that time McDonald 2010) there were almost 50% of patients diagnosed one year and more after the first symptom. There is a need for appropriate health patient education about the disease and a huge divulgation of the disease by media and health professionals.

Area

Multidisciplinary care