Cognitive impairment, anxiety, and depression in patients with chronic lymphoproliferative diseases

Objective: to assess the prevalence of cognitive and affective impairment in patients with chronic lymphoproliferative diseases. Material and Methods. 130 patients (59 women and 71 men) aged 42 to 86 years were examined, including 62 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and 68 with multiple myeloma. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA) was used to assess cognitive impairment, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to assess affective impairment. Results. We diagnosed cognitive impairment (MoCA<26) in 78.5% out of 130 patients, while only 33.9% complained of memory loss. The average score on the MoCA scale was 23 [20; 25] points. The level of education and age of the patients influenced the MoCa indices. Almost one third (38 out of 126 patients) had symptoms of subclinical anxiety by HADS, 28 (22.2%) patients had clinical anxiety. Forty six (36.5%) patients had symptoms of subclinical depression by HADS, 23(18.3%) patients had clinical depression. Anxiety rates were higher in women and elderly patients. Conclusion. Most patients had cognitive decline. The development of cognitive impairment in patients is influenced by age, educational level, and affective disorders. Every second patient has manifestations of anxiety and depression of varying severity, while the level of anxiety is higher in women and elderly patients.