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Title: | Physical and mental fatigue in people with non-communicable chronic diseases | Authors: | Vaes, Anouk W. Goertz, Yvonne M. J. VAN HERCK, Maarten Beijers, Rosanne J. H. C. G. VAN BEERS, Martijn BURTIN, Chris Janssen, Daisy J. A. Schols, Annemie M. W. J. SPRUIT, Martijn A. |
Issue Date: | 2022 | Publisher: | TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD | Source: | ANNALS OF MEDICINE, 54 (1) , p. 2522 -2534 | Abstract: | Background Fatigue is frequently reported in people with a non-communicable chronic disease. More insight in the nature of this symptom may enhance targeted treatment of fatigue. In this study, we aimed to gain more insight in the prevalence of different types of fatigue and in current prescribed treatment strategies to reduce fatigue in non-communicable chronic diseases. Methods People with non-communicable chronic diseases were contacted via public, non-profit, disease-specific health funds and patient associations and invited to complete a web-based survey. The survey included a general question about the experience ("Do you now or have you ever had complaints of fatigue?") and nature of fatigue (physically/mentally/combination), the Checklist Individual Strength-subscale subjective fatigue (CIS-Fatigue; 8-56 points), self-constructed questions for the distinction between physical and mental fatigue (both 3-21 points) and questions on prescribed treatments for fatigue. Results In total, 4199 participants (77% females) completed the online survey. 3945 participants (94.0%) reported experiencing fatigue, of which 64.4% reported a combination of both physical and mental fatigue. Median CIS-Fatigue score was 41 (32-48) points, with 68% of the participants reporting severe fatigue (>= 36 points). Median scores for physical and mental fatigue were 15 (11-18) and 12 (8-16) points, respectively. In 55% of the participants, fatigue was only occasionally or never discussed with the healthcare professional, and only 23% of the participants were prescribed a treatment for fatigue. Participants often reported no effect or even an increase in fatigue after treatment. Conclusions Findings indicate that both physical and mental fatigue are often experienced simultaneously in people with non-communicable chronic diseases, but can also occur separately. Fatigue is often only occasionally or never discussed, let alone treated, highlighting the need to raise awareness among healthcare professionals. Future studies are needed to gain more insight in underlying factors of fatigue in non-communicable chronic diseases, its impact on daily life and development and evaluation of targeted treatment strategies. Key messages: Both physical and mental fatigue are frequently present in people with non-communicable chronic diseases. Fatigue is often only occasionally or never discussed during consultation with the physician, highlighting the need to raise awareness among healthcare professionals for adequate screening and evaluating of fatigue in people with non-communicable chronic diseases. Only less than a quarter of the people with non-communicable chronic diseases who reported to experience fatigue were prescribed a treatment for fatigue, which was often experienced as ineffective. | Notes: | Vaes, AW (corresponding author), Ciro, Dept Res & Dev, Specialized Pulm Rehabil Ctr, Hornerheide 1, NL-6085 NM Horn, Netherlands. anoukvaes@ciro-horn.nl |
Keywords: | Fatigue;chronic diseases;physical fatigue;mental fatigue | Document URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1942/38687 | ISSN: | 0785-3890 | e-ISSN: | 1365-2060 | DOI: | 10.1080/07853890.2022.2122553 | ISI #: | 000854353400001 | Rights: | 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. | Category: | A1 | Type: | Journal Contribution | Validations: | ecoom 2023 |
Appears in Collections: | Research publications |
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