RESUMEN
Objective To observe the characteristics of cognitive impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and analyze its influencing factors. Methods A total of 105 patients with MS admitted to the West China Hospital from April 2019 to April 2022 were selected as the MS group, and 30 healthy individuals who received physical examination during the same period were selected as the control group. Both groups were examined with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WSCT) system were used to evaluate the patients' overall cognitive function. Patients in the MS group were additionally evaluated with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). Results On the WAIS scale, the verbal IQ, operational IQ and total IQ of the MS group were lower than those of the control group (P<0.05). The scores for the total number of tests, false responses, persistent errors, and non-persistent errors in the WSCT of the MS group were higher than those in the control group, while the scores for classification, correct responses, and percentage of correct responses were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The operation IQ (r= -0.695) and SDS score (r= -0.420) were negatively correlated with EDSS score in the MS group (P<0.05). Conclusion Patients with MS have cognitive impairment, which manifests as the reduction of summary abstraction, comprehension and expression, thinking and observation, structural synthesis of memory ability, abstract spatial skills and executive function. The more severe the physical dysfunction, the lower the operational IQ score.