Abstract
BackgroundUnexplained Chronic Fatigue is a medical condition characterized by the presence of persistent, severe and debilitating medically unexplained fatigue, leading to impaired functioning and lower quality of life. Research suggests that physical activity can contribute to the reduction of fatigue and other somatic symptoms and can thus significantly improve physical functioning and quality of life in these patients. Based on the self-regulation (SR) theory of behaviour change, we developed a brief physical activity program for patients suffering from unexplained chronic fatigue which focuses on the training of self-regulation skills, the "4-STEPS to control your fatigue" program.Methods/DesignThis is a multi-centre, randomised controlled trial (RCT) that will be carried out in local primary care centres and at the Portuguese Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients Association. Patients aged between 18 and 65 and fulfilling operationalized criteria for Idiopathic Chronic Fatigue (ICF) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) will be recruited and randomly allocated to standard care (SC) or standard care plus a self-regulation based physical activity program (4-STEPS). Patients will be assessed at baseline, after the intervention (3 months) and at 12 months follow-up. The primary outcome is fatigue severity.DiscussionThe results of the RCT will provide information about the effectiveness of a brief self-regulation intervention for promoting physical activity in patients with unexplained chronic fatigue. If the program proves to be effective, it may be considered as an adjunctive treatment for these patients.Trial RegistrationISRCTN: ISRCTN70763996
Highlights
Unexplained Chronic Fatigue is a medical condition characterized by the presence of persistent, severe and debilitating medically unexplained fatigue, leading to impaired functioning and lower quality of life
Based on the empirical literature we developed a brief self-regulation based physical activity program for patients suffering from unexplained chronic fatigue, the “4-Steps to control your fatigue” (4-STEPS) program
Physical activity seems to be very important for patients suffering from unexplained chronic fatigue, while SR interventions seem to be effective in promoting longterm health behaviour change
Summary
Unexplained Chronic Fatigue is a medical condition characterized by the presence of persistent, severe and debilitating medically unexplained fatigue, leading to impaired functioning and lower quality of life. Research suggests that physical activity can contribute to the reduction of fatigue and other somatic symptoms and can significantly improve physical functioning and quality of life in these patients. When fatigue lasts for at least six months, is not alleviated by rest, is debilitating, results in a significant reduction of daily activities and cannot be explained by an organic disease (unexplained chronic fatigue), it is classified as Idiopathic Chronic Fatigue (ICF) [4,5]. If. ICF is accompanied by four or more of the following symptoms - unrefreshing sleep, lengthy malaise after exertion (lasting for over 24 hours), impaired memory or concentration, sore throat, tender cervical or axillary lymph nodes, muscle pain, multi-joint pain without swelling or redness and headaches of a new type or severity - it is diagnosed as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) criteria [6]. CFS etiology remains unknown [4] and it is considered to be associated with a combination of several predisposing (e.g. genes), precipitating (e.g. life events) and perpetuating (e.g. physical inactivity) factors [9]
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