MYOTONIC DYSTROPHY: THE BURDEN FOR PATIENTS AND THEIR PARTNERS

Objective: Dystrophia myotonica is characterized by pro-gressive muscular weakness, myotonia, mental slowness and lack of initiative, which causes problems in daily life both for patients and for their spouses. Some couples seem to deal with these problems satisfactorily, while for others they are quite burdensome. The aim of this study was to describe the relationship of severity of dystrophia myotonica and psycho-logical wellbeing in patients and partners. Methods: Sixty-nine couples, in whom one partner had dys-trophia myotonica, completed questionnaires on severity of dystrophia myotonica, marital satisfaction, anxiety and de-pression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), hopeless-ness (Beck Hopelessness Scale) and general psychological health (General Health Questionnaire-12). Results: For patients, a worse view of the future, worse gen