Abstract
<jats:p>Background. Common comorbid conditions, including anxiety-depressive disorder (ADD), play a significant role in the clinical course and prognosis of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The purpose was to study the symptom-modifying effects of paro-xetine and a natural phytocomplex with neuroprotective properties in patients with MDS who have symptoms of depression and anxiety. Materials and methods. Patients in the first study group (n = 30) were prescribed a natural phytocomplex with neuroprotective properties, in the second group (n = 30), participants took paroxetine 20 mg once a day. Before treatment and after 2 weeks, to evaluate the proposed ADD correction regimens, patients were assessed using the Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale (GADS), and the presence/absence of the most characteristic clinical manifestations of anxiety-depressive conditions were recorded: sleep disturbance, feeling tired in the morning, tiredness during the day, and feeling depressed. Results. The patients’ responses to the GADS showed a decrease in the severity of anxiety and depression in points. If before treatment various manifestations of anxiety and depression were recorded in both groups, which in terms of score corresponded to the average severity of ADD (group 1 — 10.94; group 2 — 11.88), then a month after therapy, the results corresponded to a mild degree of depression: 6.97 and 7.53, respectively. In the first group after the course of the phytocomplex, there was a relatively smaller proportion of patients with the most characteristic and debilitating symptoms of ADD — a feeling of fatigue in the morning and exhaustion during the day (compared to the results of group 2, p < 0.05). Conclusions. A decrease in the severity of anxiety and depression according to the GADS, as well as the regression of ADD clinical symptoms in the group of patients who took the phytocomplex suggests the possibility of using natural neuroprotective agents as an alternative to antidepressants in patients with MDS.</jats:p>