Top

Published in:

01-09-2019 | Multiple Sclerosis | Review

Cognitive Assessment of Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis in the Arab World: a Systematic Review

Authors: Samira Paul, Aeysha Brown, Abbey J. Hughes

Published in: Neuropsychology Review | Issue 3/2019

Abstract

The prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) is on the rise globally, and recent epidemiological studies have observed increased rates in the Arab world (i.e., countries of North Africa and the Middle East where Arabic is the primary language). However, assessment of cognitive impairment and its relevant covariates (e.g., fatigue and depressive symptomatology) in the Arab world has not been rigorously reviewed. Thus, the objective of the present study was to systematically review the current use of cognitive assessment measures in observational and interventional studies of individuals with MS in the Arab world. A systematic review of studies that assessed cognitive function in adults with MS in the Arab world was conducted using PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, The Cochrane Library, Embase, WHO Global Index Medicus, and Ovid Global Health. Studies that featured at least one objective cognitive measure were included. Eligible studies were reviewed for bias and study quality using the QUADAS-2 and NIH QAT. Study characteristics and finding were extracted by two independent reviewers, with results confirmed by a third reviewer. A total of 13 (N = 846) studies met inclusion criteria. Risk of bias and included measures varied across studies. Results demonstrated inconsistent availability and use of MS cognitive assessment tools across the Arab world. An Arabic version of the BICAMS was the only cognitive battery that was evaluated with regard to psychometric properties. The most common individual test include in reviewed studies was the SDMT. However, validation studies are still needed for this and a number of other measures. Other measures are still in the early stages of translation and cultural-linguistic norming. This review of cognitive assessment of individuals with MS in the Arab world was limited by variable study quality and measure selection. The present review provides a summary of the tests most commonly used in this region and recommendations for future investigation.

Available only for authorised users

Abou-Mrad, F., Tarabey, L., Zamrini, E., Pasquier, F., Chelune, G., Fadel, P., & Hayek, M. (2015). Sociolinguistic reflection on neuropsychological assessment: An insight into selected culturally adapted battery of Lebanese Arabic cognitive testing. Neurological Sciences, 36(10), 1813–1822. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-015-2257-3 CrossRefPubMed

Al-Araji, A., & Mohammed, A. I. (2005). Multiple sclerosis in Iraq: Does it have the same features encountered in Western countries? Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 234(1-2), 67–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2005.03.033 CrossRefPubMed

Al-Darmaki, F., & Yaaqeib, S. (2015). Psychology and mental health services in the UAE. Psychology International.

Alonso, A., & Hernán, M. A. (2008). Temporal trends in the incidence of multiple sclerosis. A Systematic Review, 71(2), 129–135. https://doi.org/10.1212/01.wnl.0000316802.35974.34 CrossRef

Alosaimi, F. D., AlMulhem, A., & Moscovici, M. (2017). The Relationship between Psychosocial Factors and Cognition in Multiple Sclerosis., 2017, 6847070. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/6847070 CrossRef

Anderson, D., Ellenberg, J., Leventhal, C., Reingold, S., Rodriguez, M., & Silberberg, D. (1992). Revised estimate of the prevalence of multiple sclerosis in the United States. Annals of Neurology, 31(3), 333–336.CrossRef

Becuş, T., & Popoviciu, L. (1994). Epidemiologic survey of multiple sclerosis in Mureş County, Romania. Romanian Journal of Neurology and Psychiatry= Revue Roumaine De Neurologie Et Psychiatrie, 32(2), 115–122.PubMed

Ben Aljia, L., Anissa, K., Rabiaa, D., Salma, N., Sofian, B., & BA, L. (2016). Fatigue, depression, and memory impairment in multiple sclerosis. European Journal of Neurology, 23(S2), 111–344. https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.13092 CrossRef

Benamer, H. T., Ahmed, E. S., Al-Din, A. S., & Grosset, D. G. (2009). Frequency and clinical patterns of multiple sclerosis in Arab countries: A systematic review. Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 278(1-2), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2008.12.001 CrossRefPubMed

Benedict, R. H., Amato, M. P., Boringa, J., Brochet, B., Foley, F., Fredrikson, S., ... Penner, I. (2012). Brief international cognitive assessment for MS (BICAMS): International standards for validation. BMC Neurology, 12(1), 55.

Benedict, R. H., Cookfair, D., Gavett, R., Gunther, M., Munschauer, F., Garg, N., & Weinstock-Guttman, B. (2006). Validity of the minimal assessment of cognitive function in multiple sclerosis (MACFIMS). Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 12(04), 549–558.CrossRef

Bohlega, S., Inshasi, J., Al Tahan, A. R., Madani, A. B., Qahtani, H., & Rieckmann, P. (2013). Multiple sclerosis in the Arabian gulf countries: A consensus statement. Journal of Neurology, 260(12), 2959–2963. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-013-6876-4 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Charvet, L., Taub, E., Cersosimo, B., Rosicki, C., Melville, P., & Krupp, L. (2015). The Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) in multiple sclerosis: Relation to clinical features. J Mult Scler, 2(135), 2376–0389.1000135.

Chiaravalloti, N. D., & DeLuca, J. (2008). Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis. Lancet Neurology, 7(12), 1139–1151.CrossRef

Darwish, H., Haddad, R., Osman, S., Ghassan, S., Yamout, B., Tamim, H., & Khoury, S. (2017). Effect of vitamin D replacement on cognition in multiple sclerosis patients. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 45926. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep45926 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Dean, G., Aksoy, H., Akalin, T., Middleton, L., & Kyriallis, K. (1997). Multiple sclerosis in the Turkish- and Greek-speaking communities of Cyprus. A United Nations (UNHCR) Bicommunal project. Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 145(2), 163–168.CrossRef

El Ayoubi, N. K., Ghassan, S., Said, M., Allam, J., Darwish, H., & Khoury, S. J. (2016). Retinal measures correlate with cognitive and physical disability in early multiple sclerosis. Journal of Neurology, 263(11), 2287–2295.CrossRef

El Ghoneimy, A. T., Hassan, A., Homos, M., Farghaly, M., & Dahshan, A. (2015). Thalamic involvement and its impact on disability and cognition in multiple sclerosis: A clinical and diffusion tensor imaging study. Egyptian Journal Of Neurology Psychiatry And Neurosurgery, 52(2), 139–145.

El-Ghoneimy, A. T., Gad, A. H., Samir, H., Shalaby, N., Ramzy, G., Farghaly, M., & Hegazy, M. I. (2009). Contribution of vitamin D to the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis and its effect on bone health. Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 285, S202.CrossRef

El-Kholy, O. A., Ramadan, M., El-Sheikh, M., & Ali, M. (2012). Impairment in working memory in multiple sclerosis. Egyptian Journal of Psychiatry, 33(3), 117.CrossRef

Fasfous, A. F., Al-Joudi, H. F., Puente, A. E., & Perez-Garcia, M. (2017). Neuropsychological measures in the Arab world: A systematic review. Neuropsychology Review, 27(2), 158–173.CrossRef

Foley, F. W., Benedict, R. H. B., Gromisch, E. S., & DeLuca, J. (2012). The need for screening, assessment, and treatment for cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis: Results of a multidisciplinary CMSC consensus conference, September 24, 2010. International Journal of MS Care, 14(2), 58–64. https://doi.org/10.7224/1537-2073-14.2.58 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Goretti, B., Niccolai, C., Hakiki, B., Sturchio, A., Falautano, M., Minacapelli, E., ... Amato, M. P. (2014). The brief international cognitive assessment for multiple sclerosis (BICAMS): Normative values with gender, age and education corrections in the Italian population. BMC Neurology, 14(1), 171. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-014-0171-6

Hamdy, S., Shaheen, H. A., Aboumousa, A. M., Farghaly, M., Ezzat, L. M., & Daker, L. (2013). Does the disease course or treatment type have impact on executive functions and cognition in multiple sclerosis patients? A clinical and 3 tesla MRI study. Egyptian Journal of Neurology, Psychiatry & Neurosurgery, 50(4).

Heydarpour, P., Khoshkish, S., Abtahi, S., Moradi-Lakeh, M., & Sahraian, M. A. (2015). Multiple sclerosis epidemiology in Middle East and North Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuroepidemiology, 44(4), 232–244. https://doi.org/10.1159/000431042 CrossRefPubMed

Hind, D., Kaklamanou, D., Beever, D., Webster, R., Lee, E., Barkham, M., & Cooper, C. (2016). The assessment of depression in people with multiple sclerosis: A systematic review of psychometric validation studies. BMC Psychiatry, 16(1), 278. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-016-0931-5 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Kalb, R., Beier, M., Benedict, R. H., Charvet, L., Costello, K., Feinstein, A., ... DeLuca, J. (2018). Recommendations for cognitive screening and management in multiple sclerosis care. Multiple Sclerosis, 24(13), 1665–1680. https://doi.org/10.1177/1352458518803785 CrossRef

Kamel, R., El Kholy, S., & Hashem, H. (2004). Multiple sclerosis: Correlation of neuropsychological tests with EEG coherence analysis and MRI findings. Egyptian Journal Of Neurology Psychiatry And Neurosurgery, 41(1), 79–94.

Karni, A., Kahana, E., Zilber, N., Abramsky, O., Alter, M., & Karussis, D. (2003). The frequency of multiple sclerosis in jewish and Arab populations in greater Jerusalem. Neuroepidemiology, 22(1), 82–86. https://doi.org/10.1159/000067101 CrossRefPubMed

Khalil, H., Al-Shorman, A., El-Salem, K., Abdo, N., Alghwiri, A. A., Aburub, A., ... Al-Mustafa, F. (2017). Fear of falling in people with multiple sclerosis: Which clinical characteristics are important? Physical Therapy, 97, 698–706. https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/pzx044 CrossRef

Kishk, N., Shalaby, N., Shehata, H., Hassan, A., Hegazy, M., Elmazny, A., ... Farghaly, M. (2017). Reliability of BICAMS (Arabic version) in Egyptian multiple sclerosis patients. Multiple Sclerosis Journal, 23, 155–156. https://doi.org/10.1177/1352458517731404

Kronfol, N. (2012). Access and barriers to health care delivery in Arab countries: A review.CrossRef

Krupp, L. B., LaRocca, N. G., Muir-Nash, J., & Steinberg, A. D. (1989). The fatigue severity scale: Application to patients with multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Archives of Neurology, 46(10), 1121–1123.CrossRef

Langdon, D. W., Amato, M. P., Boringa, J., Brochet, B., Foley, F., Fredrikson, S., ... Penner, I. K. (2012). Recommendations for a brief international cognitive assessment for multiple sclerosis (BICAMS). Multiple Sclerosis Journal, 18(6), 891–898.CrossRef

Makhani, N., Morrow, S., Fisk, J., Evans, C., Beland, S. G., Kulaga, S., ... Koch, M. (2013). Trends in multiple sclerosis incidence and prevalence in Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand: A systematic review. Multiple Sclerosis, 19, 344–345. https://doi.org/10.1177/1352458513502429

Manee, F. S., Nadar, M. S., Jassem, Z., & Chavan, S. R. (2017). Survey of cognitive rehabilitation practices in the state of Kuwait. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 24(2), 83–88.CrossRef

Melcon, M. O., Correale, J., & Melcon, C. M. (2014). Is it time for a new global classification of multiple sclerosis? Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 344(1-2), 171–181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2014.06.051 CrossRefPubMed

Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., & Altman, D. G. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. Annals of Internal Medicine, 151(4), 264–269.CrossRef

National Institutes of Health. (2014). Quality assessment tool for observational cohort and cross-sectional studies. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Avaliable from: www. nhlbi. nih. gov/health-pro/guidelines/indevelop/cardiovascular-risk-reduction/tools/cohort.[Accessed November 5, 2015].

Pugliatti, M., Sotgiu, S., & Rosati, G. (2002). The worldwide prevalence of multiple sclerosis. Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery, 104(3), 182–191.CrossRef

Rao, S. M., Leo, G. J., Bernardin, L., & Unverzagt, F. (1991). Cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis. I. Frequency, patterns, and prediction. Neurology, 41(5), 685–691.CrossRef

Rosati, G. (2001). The prevalence of multiple sclerosis in the world: An update. Neurological Sciences, 22(2), 117–139.CrossRef

Saadatnia, M., Etemadifar, M., & Maghzi, A. H. (2007). Multiple sclerosis in Isfahan, Iran. International Review of Neurobiology, 79, 357–375. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0074-7742(07)79016-5 CrossRefPubMed

Schiess, N., Huether, K., Fatafta, T., Fitzgerald, K. C., Calabresi, P. A., Blair, I., ... Szolics, M. (2016). How global MS prevalence is changing: A retrospective chart review in the United Arab Emirates. Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, 9, 73–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2016.07.005 CrossRef

Sharafaddinzadeh, N., Moghtaderi, A., Majdinasab, N., Dahmardeh, M., Kashipazha, D., & Shalbafan, B. (2013). The influence of ethnicity on the characteristics of multiple sclerosis: A local population study between Persians and Arabs. Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery, 115(8), 1271–1275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clineuro.2012.11.027 CrossRefPubMed

Simpson, S., Blizzard, L., Otahal, P., Van der Mei, I., & Taylor, B. (2011). Latitude is significantly associated with the prevalence of multiple sclerosis: A meta-analysis. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 82(10), 1132–1141.CrossRef

Sjonnesen, K., Berzins, S., Fiest, K. M., AG, M. B., Metz, L. M., Thombs, B. D., & Patten, S. B. (2012). Evaluation of the 9-item patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9) as an assessment instrument for symptoms of depression in patients with multiple sclerosis. Postgraduate Medicine, 124(5), 69–77. https://doi.org/10.3810/pgm.2012.09.2595 CrossRefPubMed

Vanotti, S., Smerbeck, A., Benedict, R. H. B., & Caceres, F. (2016). A new assessment tool for patients with multiple sclerosis from Spanish-speaking countries: Validation of the brief international cognitive assessment for MS (BICAMS) in Argentina. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 30(7), 1023–1031. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854046.2016.1184317 CrossRefPubMed

Weinshenker, B. G. (1994). Natural history of multiple sclerosis. Annals of Neurology: Official Journal of the American Neurological Association and the Child Neurology Society, 36(S1), S6–S11.CrossRef

Weinshenker, B. G., Bass, B., Rice, G. P., Noseworthy, J., Carriere, W., Baskerville, J., & Ebers, G. C. (1989). The natural history of multiple sclerosis: A geographically based study. I. Clinical course and disability. Brain, 112(Pt 1), 133–146.CrossRef

Whiting, P., Savović, J., Higgins, J. P., Caldwell, D. M., Reeves, B. C., Shea, B., ... Churchill, R. (2016). ROBIS: A new tool to assess risk of bias in systematic reviews was developed. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 69, 225–234.CrossRef

Whiting, P. F., Rutjes, A. W., Westwood, M. E., Mallett, S., Deeks, J. J., Reitsma, J. B., ... Bossuyt, P. M. (2011). QUADAS-2: A revised tool for the quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies. Annals of Internal Medicine, 155(8), 529–536.CrossRef

Yamout, B., Barada, W., Tohme, R. A., Mehio-Sibai, A., Khalifeh, R., & El-Hajj, T. (2008). Clinical characteristics of multiple sclerosis in Lebanon. Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 270(1-2), 88–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2008.02.009 CrossRefPubMed

Yamout, B., Hourani, R., Salti, H., Barada, W., El-Hajj, T., Al-Kutoubi, A., ... Khalil-Hamdan, R. (2010). Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation in patients with multiple sclerosis: A pilot study. Journal of Neuroimmunology, 227(1–2), 185–189.CrossRef

Yamout, B., Issa, Z., Herlopian, A., El Bejjani, M., Khalifa, A., Ghadieh, A., & Habib, R. (2013). Predictors of quality of life among multiple sclerosis patients: A comprehensive analysis. European Journal of Neurology, 20(5), 756–764.CrossRef

Title: Cognitive Assessment of Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis in the Arab World: a Systematic Review
Authors: Samira Paul
Aeysha Brown
Abbey J. Hughes
Publication date: 01-09-2019
Publisher: Springer US
Keyword: Multiple Sclerosis
Published in: Neuropsychology Review / Issue 3/2019
Print ISSN: 1040-7308
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6660
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-019-09408-5

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

Springer Medicine

Cognitive Assessment of Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis in the Arab World: a Systematic Review

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 3/2019

Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) for HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders

A Quantitative Meta-analysis of Olfactory Dysfunction in Epilepsy

Corticosteroids and Cognition: A Meta-Analysis

Neurobiological and Cognitive Profile of Young Binge Drinkers: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The Effects of Moderate-to-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury on Episodic Memory: a Meta-Analysis

A Comparison of Virtual Reality Classroom Continuous Performance Tests to Traditional Continuous Performance Tests in Delineating ADHD: a Meta-Analysis