PSYCHIATRIC COMORBIDITY IN PATIENTS WITH BURNING MOUTH SYNDROME

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and t ype of psychiatric disorders coexisting with burning mouth syndrome (B MS), to compare the clinical features of patients with EMS alone with patients with multiple diagnoses, and to investigate the number and se verity of life events that occur before the onset of EMS. Method: Ther e were 102 patients with EMS, with no possible local or systemic cause s, who were evaluated according to the diagnostic criteria of DSM-IV. All axis I diagnoses for which the patients met criteria at intake or lifetime were determined. Life events were evaluated for a period of 6 months before the onset of EMS. A statistical comparison between pati ents and a matched control group was performed first; moreover, patien ts with EMS alone were compared with patients with comorbid EMS. Resul ts: Although 29 (28.4%) EMS patients were not given any other lifetime psychiatric diagnosis, high rates of comorbid psychiatric diagnoses w ere found. The most prevalent concurrent diagnoses were depressive dis orders and generalized anxiety disorder. No significant differences em erged in clinical features between patients with and without other cur rent psychiatric disorders. The severity of life events, rather than i n their number, was significantly associated with EMS. Conclusions: EM S has high psychiatric comorbidity but can occur in the absence of psy chiatric diagnoses.