Abstract
Objectives
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive and often debilitating neurological disorder. This chronic disease has a high prevalence in the world and also in Iran. Fatigue is a common symptom of the disease, which causes serious mental and psychological discomfort. Simple saffron syrup, contains some compounds that can be effective in relieving the symptom. The object of this study is to investigate the effect of simple saffron syrup on fatigue in patients with MS.
Methods
This study is a pre-post study which evaluates the fatigue rate of MS patients (30 participants) according to the FSS scale. The participants were given a saffron simple syrup to consume a tablespoon (7.5 cc) every 8 h for two months. After 60 days of prescribing, patients are assessed for fatigue based on fatigue severity scale (FSS) criteria.
Results
One-way ANOVA showed that there was a notable difference between the mean score of fatigue in MS patients before and after the intervention (p<0.001). So, the fatigue severity of the subjects after saffron syrup consumption dropped dramatically for two months. (p<00.01).
Conclusions
According to the outcomes of this study, simple saffron syrup can be effective as an adjunct therapy for fatigue reduction in patients with MS due to effectiveness besides no significant side effects.
Funding source: Arak University of Medical Sciences
Award Identifier / Grant number: 728
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran for financial support.
Research funding: This work was supported by funds from the Arak University of Medical Sciences (Grant number: 728).
Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
Competing interests: The funding organization(s) played no role in the study design, in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the report for publication.
Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.
Ethical approval: The present study was approved by Review Board and Ethics Committee of Arak University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
References
1. Kelly, BR, Turner, JA. Emotional dimensions of chronic disease. West J Med 2000;172:124–128. https://doi.org/10.1136/ewjm.172.2.124.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
2. Reilly, GD, Mahkawnghta, AS, Jelinek, PL, De Livera, AM, Weiland, TJ, Brown, CR, et al. International differences in multiple sclerosis health outcomes and associated factors in a cross-sectional survey. Front Neurol 2017;8:229. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2017.00229.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
3. Moher, D, Pelletier, D. A temporal framework for understanding the effect of stressful life event on inflammation in patient with multiple sclerosis. Brain Behav Immun 2005;20:27–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2005.03.011.Search in Google Scholar PubMed
4. Halper, J. The evolution of nursing care in multiple sclerosis. Int J MS Care 2000;2:14–22. https://doi.org/10.7224/1537-2073-2.1.14.Search in Google Scholar
5. Pithadia, A, Jain, S, Navale, A. Pathogenesis and treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Int J Neurol 2009;10:1–20. https://doi.org/10.5580/2e1.Search in Google Scholar
6. Heydarpour, P, Khoshkish, S, Abtahi, S, Moradi-Lakeh, M, Sahraian, MA. Multiple sclerosis epidemiology in Middle East and North Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuroepidemiology 2015;44:232–44. https://doi.org/10.1159/000431042.Search in Google Scholar PubMed
7. Schapiro, RT. Managing symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Neurol Clin 2005;23:177–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ncl.2004.09.001.Search in Google Scholar PubMed
8. Longo, DL, Fauci, AS, Kasper, DL, Hauser, SL, Jameson, JL, Loscalzo, J. Harrison’s principles of internal medicine 18E Vol 2 EB: McGraw Hill Professional; 2012.Search in Google Scholar
9. Krupp, LB, Alvarez, LA, LaRocca, NG, Scheinberg, LC. Fatigue in multiple sclerosis. Arch Neurol 1988;45:435–7. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.1988.00520280085020.Search in Google Scholar PubMed
10. Bakshi, R. Fatigue associated with multiple sclerosis: diagnosis, impact and management. Mult Scler J 2003;9:219–27. https://doi.org/10.1191/1352458503ms904oa.Search in Google Scholar PubMed
11. Krupp, LB, LaRocca, NG, Muir–Nash, J, Steinberg, AD. The fatigue severity scale: application to patients with multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Arch Neurol 1989;46:1121–3. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.1989.00520460115022.Search in Google Scholar PubMed
12. Branas, P, Jordan, R, Fry-Smith, A, Burls, A, Hyde, C. Treatments for fatigue in multiple sclerosis: a rapid and systematic review. Great Britain: National Co–ordinating Centre for HTA; 2000.10.3310/hta4270Search in Google Scholar
13. McDonald, WI, Compston, A, Edan, G, Goodkin, D, Hartung, HP, Lublin, FD, et al. Recommended diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis: guidelines from the international panel on the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Ann Neurol 2001;50:121–7. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.1032.Search in Google Scholar PubMed
14. Skovgaard, L, Nicolajsen, PH, Pedersen, E, Kant, M, Fredrikson, S, Verhoef, M, et al. Use of complementary and alternative medicine among people with multiple sclerosis in the Nordic countries. Autoimmune Dis 2012 2012:1–13. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/841085.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
15. Shirazi, M, Fazeli, M, Sultan Dallal, M, Eshraghi, S, Jamalifar, H, Alamulhoda, E. A comparative study on the antimicrobial effect of some medicinal herbal extracts and selective antibiotics against the clinical isolates of Helicobactor pylori. J Med Plants 2003;3:53–60. https://jmp.ir/article-1-774-en.html.Search in Google Scholar
16. Ahmadi, S, Azhari, S, Jafarzadeh, H, Rakhshandeh, H, Mazlom, R. The effect of oral capsules of saffron on anxiety and fatigue during the first stage of labor. SSU J 2015;23:1915–26. http://jssu.ssu.ac.ir/article-1-2904-en.html.Search in Google Scholar
17. Shafiee, M, Arekhi, S, Omranzadeh, A, Sahebkar, A. Saffron in the treatment of depression, anxiety and other mental disorders: current evidence and potential mechanisms of action. J Affect Disord 2018;227:330–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.11.020.Search in Google Scholar PubMed
18. Mollazadeh, H, Emami, SA, Hosseinzadeh, H. Razi’s Al-Hawi and saffron (Crocus sativus): a review. Iran J Basic Med Sci 2015;18:1153–66. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26877844/.Search in Google Scholar
19. Krupp, LB, Christodoulou, C. Fatigue in multiple sclerosis. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2001;1:294–8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11910-001-0033-7.Search in Google Scholar PubMed
20. Lopresti, AL, Drummond, PD. Efficacy of curcumin, and a saffron/curcumin combination for the treatment of major depression: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Affect Disord 2017;207:188–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.09.047.Search in Google Scholar PubMed
21. Bakhshayesh Eghbali, B, Roodbary, S, Hatamian, H. Fatigue in multiple sclerosis and its relationship to clinical status. J Guilan Univ Med Sci 2012;21:39–45. https://www.sid.ir/en/journal/ViewPaper.aspx?id=253535.Search in Google Scholar
22. Srivastava, R, Ahmed, H, Dixit, RK, Dharamveer, Saraf, SA. Crocus sativus L: a comprehensive review. Phcog Rev 2010;4:200–8. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-7847.70919.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
23. Siddiqui, MJ, Saleh, MSM, Basharuddin, SNBB, Zamri, SHB, Mohd Najib, MHB, Che Ibrahim, MZB, et al. Saffron (Crocus sativus L.): as an antidepressant. J Pharm Bioallied Sci 2018;10:173–80. https://doi.org/10.4103/JPBS.JPBS_83_18.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
© 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
