Epidemiology Poster Presentation

P0484 - Prevalence of fatigue in multiple sclerosis (ID 1003)

Speakers
  • L. Broch
Authors
  • C. Simonsen
  • H. Flemmen
  • Å. Skardhamar
  • E. Celius
Presentation Number
P0484
Presentation Topic
Epidemiology

Abstract

Background

Fatigue is considered to be one of the main causes of impaired quality of life among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). It affects family life, social activities, and education. Fatigue is one of the main reasons why many patients with MS are unable to work. To our knowledge there have been no larger studies on the prevalence of fatigue in MS in almost 20 years. Previous studies have reported a prevalence ranging between 50-90 %. We assumed that the prevalence of fatigue has changed due to changes in diagnostic criteria and the great change in treatment possibilities over these years.

Objectives

Our objective was to determine the prevalence of fatigue in a contemporary MS population in Norway, and to assess the association between fatigue and sex, age, disease course, disease severity and duration.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional study from a registry comprising MS patients in the counties Buskerud, Oslo and Telemark in Norway. Clinical, demographic and socio-economic data were obtained from the registry. Questionnaires were distributed by postal mail to all living subjects. Self-reported fatigue was assessed with the Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive Functions (FSMC), and anxiety and depression was measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). We used the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) to assess daytime sleepiness.

Results

The response rate was 62.3 % (1599/2566). The prevalence of fatigue was 81.3 %. There was a significantly higher prevalence of fatigue in women than in men (82.9 % vs 77.6 %, p = 0.017). The prevalence was higher in patients aged ≥ 50 years compared with those aged < 50 years (85.7 % vs 75.4 %, p < 0.001). There was also a higher prevalence of fatigue in the group with progressive MS (87.6 % vs 80.0 % in the RR-MS group). 30 % of the patients with fatigue had concomitant anxiety/depression, versus 2.6 % in the non-fatigue group (p<0.001). Daytime sleepiness was more prevalent in patients with fatigue than in patients without fatigue (35 % versus 8 %, p<0.001).

Conclusions

Fatigue is prevalent in contemporary patients with MS and is associated with symptoms of anxiety, depression and daytime sleepiness. Fatigue was more prevalent in women, and in patients older than 50 years of age. Anxiety/depression and daytime sleepiness occurred more often in patients with fatigue.

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