Is fatigue a disease-specific or generic symptom in chronic medical conditions?

Menting, Juliane; Tack, Cees J.; Bleijenberg, Gijs; Donders, Rogier; Fortuyn, H.A. Droogleever; Fransen, Jaap; Goedendorp, Martine M.; Kalkman, Joke S.; Strik-Albers, Riet; Alfen, Nens van; Werf, S.P. van der; Voermans, Nicol C.; Engelen, Baziel G. van; Knoop, Hans

doi:10.1037/hea0000598

Cited by 96 publications

(111 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…However, the findings regarding loneliness, time, language and strategies to manage fatigue are less recognised and should inform future interventions. A recent study indicates that we may not require disease-specific approaches as the severity of fatigue can largely be explained by transdiagnostic factors 39. Thus, we may develop interventions to help reduce fatigue for people with different chronic diseases targeting individual needs 39.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A recent study indicates that we may not require disease-specific approaches as the severity of fatigue can largely be explained by transdiagnostic factors 39. Thus, we may develop interventions to help reduce fatigue for people with different chronic diseases targeting individual needs 39. Furthermore, the specific cognitive processes should be mapped and targeted 40…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Experience of people with rheumatoid arthritis living with fatigue: a qualitative metasynthesis

et al. 2019

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ObjectivesTo identify, appraise and synthesise qualitative studies on the experience of living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related fatigue.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative metasynthesis encompassing a systematic literature search in February 2017, for studies published in the past 15 years, in PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Embase, SveMed, PsychINFO and Web of Science. To be included, the studies had to report the experience of living with fatigue among adults with RA. The analysis and synthesis followed Malterud’s systematic text condensation.ResultsEight qualitative articles were included, based on 212 people with RA (69% women) and aged between 20 and 83 years old. The synthesis resulted in the overall theme ‘A vicious circle of an unpredictable symptom’. In addition, the synthesis derived four subthemes: ‘being alone with fatigue’; ‘time as a challenge’; ‘language as a tool for increased understanding’ and ‘strategies to manage fatigue’. Fatigue affects all areas of everyday life for people with RA. They strive to plan and prioritise, pace, relax and rest. Furthermore, they try to make use of a variety of words and metaphors to explain to other people that they experience that RA-related fatigue is different from normal tiredness. Despite this, people with RA-related fatigue experience feeling alone with their symptom and they develop their own strategies to manage fatigue in their everyday life.ConclusionsThe unpredictability of RA-related fatigue is dominant, pervasive and is experienced as a vicious circle, which can be described in relation to its physical, cognitive, emotional and social impact. It is important for health professionals to acknowledge and address the impact of fatigue on the patients’ everyday lives. Support from health professionals to manage fatigue and develop strategies to increase physical activity and maintain work is important for people with RA-related fatigue.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Experience of people with rheumatoid arthritis living with fatigue: a qualitative metasynthesis

et al. 2019

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“…Recently, in adults, the incidence and severity of fatigue was found to exist rather independently from the somatic diagnosis 7. This emerging concept has not yet been studied in children and adolescents, although it has been reported that fatigue can persist despite low disease activity 7–9.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fatigue in childhood chronic disease

et al. 2019

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Background and objectivesRecently, in adults, the incidence and severity of fatigue was found to exist rather independently from the somatic diagnosis. Since fatigue is distressing when growing up with a chronic disease, we aim to investigate: (1) the prevalence and extent of fatigue among various paediatric chronic diseases and (2) the effect of fatigue on health-related quality of life (HRQoL).Design and settingCross-sectional study in two children’s hospitals.PatientsChildren and adolescents 2–18 years of age with cystic fibrosis, an autoimmune disease or postcancer treatment visiting the outpatient clinic.Outcome measuresFatigue and HRQoL were assessed using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) multidimensional fatigue scale (with lower scores indicating more fatigue) and PedsQL generic core scales, respectively. Linear regression analysis and analysis of covariance were used to compare fatigue scores across disease groups and against two control groups. The effect of fatigue on HRQoL was calculated. Data were adjusted for age, sex and reporting method.Results481 children and adolescents were assessed (60% participation rate, mean age 10.7±4.9, 42% men). Children and adolescents with chronic disease reported more fatigue than the general population (mean difference −6.6, 95% CI −8.9 to –4.3 (range 0–100)), with a prevalence of severe fatigue of 21.2%. Fatigue scores did not differ significantly between disease groups on any fatigue domain. Fatigue was associated with lower HRQoL on all domains.ConclusionsFatigue in childhood chronic disease is a common symptom that presents across disease, age and sex groups. Fatigue affects HRQoL. Our findings underscore the need to systematically assess fatigue. Future studies should determine possible biological and psychosocial treatment targets.

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“…Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of patients seeking professional care (Stadje et al 2016;Menting et al 2018) and common cause of lost working hours (Ricci et al 2007;Deligkaris et al 2014). Yet, we understand little of its underlying mechanisms (Gergelyfi et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Short-term cognitive fatigue effect on auditory temporal order judgments

et al. 2020

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Fatigue is a core symptom in many psychological disorders and it can strongly influence everyday productivity. As fatigue effects have been typically demonstrated after long hours of time on task, it was surprising that in a previous study, we accidentally found a decline of temporal order judgment (TOJ) performance within 5-8 min. After replicating prior relevant findings we tested whether pauses and/or feedback relating the participant's performance to some "standard" can eliminate or reduce this short-term performance decline. We also assessed whether the performance decline is specific to the processes evoked by the TOJ task or it is a product of either general inattentiveness or the lack of willingness to thoroughly follow the task instructions. We found that both feedback and introducing pauses between successive measurements can largely reduce the performance decline, and that these two manipulations likely mobilize overlapping capacities. Performance decline was not present in a similar task when controlling for the TOJ threshold and it was not a result of uncooperative behavior. Therefore, we conclude that the TOJ threshold decline is either specific to temporal processing in general or to the TOJ task employed in the study. Overall, the results are compatible with the notion that the decline of TOJ threshold with repeated measures represents a short-term cognitive fatigue effect. This objective fatigue measure did not correlate with subjective fatigue. The latter was rather related to perceived difficulty/effort, the reduction of positive affectivity, heightened sensitivity to criticism, and the best TOJ threshold.

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Is fatigue a disease-specific or generic symptom in chronic medical conditions?

Cited by 96 publications

References 40 publications

The Experience of people with rheumatoid arthritis living with fatigue: a qualitative metasynthesis

The Experience of people with rheumatoid arthritis living with fatigue: a qualitative metasynthesis

Fatigue in childhood chronic disease

Short-term cognitive fatigue effect on auditory temporal order judgments

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