Gender Differences in Fatigue Associated With Acute Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Fatigue is a symptom of acute myocardial infarction (AMI); however, few studies have characterized the fatigue associated with AMI in men and women. METHODS The convenience sample included 88 men and 28 women admitted with a diagnosis of AMI at 6 Midwestern facilities. Data were collected upon hospital admission and 30 days after discharge. A total of 37 men and 10 women responded to the 30-day questionnaires. The Profile of Mood States Fatigue (POMS-F) subscale was used to measure fatigue and the Depression-Dejection subscale to measure depressed mood. RESULTS At baseline, significant gender differences were found, with women more likely to have higher POMS-F scores (15.80, SD = 7.33) than men (11.19, SD = 7.04, P = .004). Significant gender differences were also found at 30 days (t = 2.40, df = 45, P = .02). POMS-F scores for women were higher at baseline, with decreased fatigue levels 30 days after discharge (t = 5.36, df = 9, P ≤ .05). No differences were found in POMS-F scores for men (t = 1.26, df = 36, P = .213) between baseline and 30 days after discharge. Fatigue was associated with depressed mood and gender at baseline (R2 = 0.48, P < .05) and 30 days after discharge (R2 = 0.308, P < .05). CONCLUSIONS In this sample, fatigue at baseline and at 30 days after discharge was associated with gender and depressed mood. Women reported high levels of fatigue with AMI and lower fatigue after discharge. Men reported moderate to high fatigue levels, which did not change over time. Further research is needed to discern fatigue patterns before and after AMI.

Fatigue after myocardial infarction – a two‐year follow‐up study

“…Earlier studies have found that men and women differ in their experiences of fatigue 30 days after MI, such that fatigue was a much greater issue for women than for men (Fennessy et al . ). Five years after MI, women experienced fatigue as one of the most common symptoms leading to limitations in their lives (Sjostrom‐Strand et al .…”

“…Although there is a close relationship between fatigue and depression after MI (Fennessy et al . ), it has also been shown that symptoms of fatigue can occur without coexisting depression after MI (McGowan et al . ).…”

Symptom Trajectories After an Emergency Department Visit for Potential Acute Coronary Syndrome

“…Trajectories of both fatigue and vital exhaustion have been identified in ACS patients after discharge (Fennessy et al, 2010; Smith, Kupper, Denollet, & de Jonge, 2011). Different symptom trajectories have been associated with differences in disease-related outcomes: Severe and increasing vital exhaustion trajectories have been associated with a greater incidence of cardiac events than mild and decreasing trajectories in one study using latent class growth analysis (Smith et al, 2011).…”

“…Different symptom trajectories have been associated with differences in disease-related outcomes: Severe and increasing vital exhaustion trajectories have been associated with a greater incidence of cardiac events than mild and decreasing trajectories in one study using latent class growth analysis (Smith et al, 2011). In another study using regression analysis, symptom trajectories also varied by sex, with women often experiencing severe but improving fatigue, in contrast to men’s moderate, persistent fatigue (Fennessy et al, 2010). …”

Considering Both Health-Promoting and Illness-Related Factors in Assessment of Health-Related Quality of Life After Myocardial Infarction

“…Moreover, as many as 50 percent of patients have been found to report fatigue four months after a myocardial infarction [16]. Experiences of illness-related fatigue include feelings of tiredness, weakness and lack of energy, and consequently, fatigue is closely related to depression after myocardial infarction [17]. Depressed people primarily experience fatigue, as fatigue is a key symptom of depression [18].…”