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This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

EV0963

Effects of botulinum toxin injections on quality of life and psychological outcomes in patients with spasticity

EFFECTS OF BOTULINUM TOXIN INJECTIONS ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH SPASTICITY

Improvements in spasticity and pain following botulinum toxin injection are accompanied by significant improvements in quality of life, anxiety, and depressive symptoms.

The aim was to evaluate the effects of botulinum toxin injections on quality of life and psychological status in patients with spasticity. This prospective study included 64 patients with spasticity secondary to stroke or cerebral palsy; patients received botulinum toxin injections as part of their spasticity treatment and were assessed at baseline and 8 weeks after treatment. Spasticity was measured using the Modified Ashworth Scale, pain intensity using the Visual Analog Scale, health-related quality of life using the Short Form 36 (SF-36), and psychological status using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). At week 8, spasticity improved significantly, with a highly significant reduction in Modified Ashworth Scale scores (p < 0.001); pain intensity also decreased significantly (p = 0.002). Health-related quality of life improved significantly in both the physical and mental domains of the SF-36 (p < 0.01), and significant reductions were observed in HADS anxiety and depression scores (p = 0.01 and p = 0.03, respectively). Improvements in psychological outcomes were moderately correlated with pain reduction (r = 0.42), suggesting that the psychological benefits may be partly attributable to improved pain control. The authors note that botulinum toxin treatment may provide benefits beyond reducing muscle tone and that the findings support a holistic, patient-centered approach to spasticity management that addresses both physical and psychological outcomes.

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