Self-reported Fatigue Research Articles

Longterm course of neuropsychological symptoms and ME/CFS after SARS-CoV-2-infection: a prospective registry study.

A significant proportion of patients after SARS-CoV-2 infection suffer from long-lasting symptoms. Although many different symptoms are described, the majority of patients complains about neuropsychological symptoms. Additionally, a subgroup of patients fulfills diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS. We analyzed a registry of all patients presenting in the out-patients clinic at a German university center. For patients with more than one visit, changes in reported symptoms from first to second visit were analyzed. A total of 1022 patients were included in the study, 411 of them had more than one visit. 95.5% of the patients reported a polysymptomatic disease. At the first visit 31.3% of the patients fulfilled ME/CFS criteria after a median time of 255days post infection and and at the second visit after a median of 402days, 19.4% still suffered from ME/CFS. Self-reported fatigue (83.7-72.7%) and concentration impairment (66.2-57.9%) decreased from first to second visit contrasting non-significant changes in the structured screening. A significant proportion of SARS-CoV-2 survivors presenting with ongoing symptoms present with ME/CFS. Although the proportion of subjective reported symptoms and their severity reduce over time, a significant proportion of patients suffer from long-lasting symptoms necessitating new therapeutic concepts.

Frailty

Objective: determine the extent to which each criterion of the frailty phenotype (either alone or grouped) contributes to the emergence of the syndrome in older people. Methods: observational and analytical study was conducted with 219 male and female older people in outpatient care. The evaluation of frailty syndrome was based on the phenotype proposed by Fried et al., the criteria of which are unintentional weight loss, self-reported fatigue, low grip strength, insufficient physical activity and slow gait. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was employed to evaluate the influence of each criterion of the phenotype alone or grouped. Results: a total of 219 individuals participated in the study. The most common frailty criterion was slowness in both frail and pre-frail individuals. Pre-frail individuals with slow gait were 9.42-fold more likely to become frail (OR = 9.42, 95%CI: 7.27-13.40, p = 0.001). The model with all five criteria explained 99.5% of frailty in the sample. Conclusion: slow gait was the most frequent frailty criterion in frail and pre-frail individuals. Therefore, this criterion seems to be the best predictor of frailty in older people and warrants close observation on the part of healthcare providers.

Emotional, Behavioral, and Cognitive Symptom Associations With Community Participation in Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury.

To determine the association between self-reported emotional and cognitive symptoms and participation outcomes in chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to explore the relative contribution of self-reported versus performance-based cognition to participation outcomes. Community. Community-dwelling adults ( n = 135) with a lifetime history of mild to severe TBI. Secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study on neurobehavioral symptoms in chronic TBI. Behavioral Assessment Screening Tool (BAST) (Negative Affect, Fatigue, Executive Dysfunction, Impulsivity, Substance Abuse subscales) measured self-reported neurobehavioral symptoms; Participation Assessment with Recombined Tools (Productivity, Social Relations, and Out and About) measured self-reported participation outcomes; and Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone (BTACT) measured performance-based cognition (Episodic Memory and Executive Function summary scores) in a subsample ( n = 40). The BAST Executive Dysfunction was significantly associated with less frequent participation and had the strongest effect on participation in all participation domains. No other BAST subscales were associated with participation, after adjusting for all subscale scores and age, with the exception of BAST Impulsivity, which was associated with more frequent Social Relationships. Exploratory analysis in the sample including the BTACT revealed that, after accounting for subjective Executive Dysfunction using the BAST, performance-based Executive Function was associated with Productivity and Working Memory was associated with Social Relations, but neither was associated with being Out and About; the BAST Executive Dysfunction remained significant in all models even after including BTACT scores. Self-reported Executive Dysfunction contributed to participation outcomes after mild to severe TBI in community-dwelling adults, whereas self-reported emotional and fatigue symptoms did not. Performance-based cognition measures may capture different variability in participation after injury.

Developmental changes in individual alpha frequency: Recording EEG data during public engagement events.

Statistical power in cognitive neuroimaging experiments is often very low. Low sample size can reduce the likelihood of detecting real effects (false negatives) and increase the risk of detecting non-existing effects by chance (false positives). Here, we document our experience of leveraging a relatively unexplored method of collecting a large sample size for simple electroencephalography (EEG) studies: by recording EEG in the community during public engagement and outreach events. We collected data from 346 participants (189 females, age range 6-76 years) over 6 days, totalling 29 hours, at local science festivals. Alpha activity (6-15 Hz) was filtered from 30 seconds of signal, recorded from a single electrode placed between the occipital midline (Oz) and inion (Iz) while the participants rested with their eyes closed. A total of 289 good-quality datasets were obtained. Using this community-based approach, we were able to replicate controlled, lab-based findings: individual alpha frequency (IAF) increased during childhood, reaching a peak frequency of 10.28 Hz at 28.1 years old, and slowed again in middle and older age. Total alpha power decreased linearly, but the aperiodic-adjusted alpha power did not change over the lifespan. Aperiodic slopes and intercepts were highest in the youngest participants. There were no associations between these EEG indexes and self-reported fatigue, measured by the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory. Finally, we present a set of important considerations for researchers who wish to collect EEG data within public engagement and outreach environments.

Frailty Predicts Incident Atrial Fibrillation in Women but Not in Men: The Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study

Introduction: Frailty and atrial fibrillation (AF) are common aging problems and increasing globally. The association(s) between frailty and AF has been inconclusive. The purpose of this prospective population-based cohort was to investigate the associations between frailty and incident AF in older men and women. Methods: In total 839 participants, women (n = 458) and men (n = 381), aged 61–74 years from the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study were included (March 1, 1998, to December 31, 2001). At the baseline, frailty prevalence was 49.3% (n = 414), and non-frailty 50.7% (n = 425) of the total population. Frailty was ascertained with the presence of 3–5 and prefrailty 1–2 of the following criteria: weight loss (highest 20% over 7 years), self-reported tiredness, weakness (measured by handgrip strength), slow walking speed (walking pace), and low physical activity (lowest 20%). AF events were obtained by record linkages from the national computerized hospitalization registry in Finland up to December 31, 2019. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression estimated the hazard ratio (HR) of incident events, adjusted for potential confounders. Results: During the mean follow-up of 14.2 years, 288 AF cases (169 women; 119 men) occurred. After adjustment for possible confounders, the HRs (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for AF was 1.46 (1.48–1.85) in the frail population, compared to the non-frail group. The association was observed only among older frail women (multivariable-adjusted HR 1.78, 95% CI [1.28–2.48]) (p for interaction = 0.04). No statistically significant associations were observed between frailty and future AF incident among men (multivariable-adjusted HRs 1.12, 95% CI (0.77–1.63)). Conclusions: In this population-based epidemiological cohort, the risk of developing AF was increased in women affected by frailty at baseline but not in men.

Hypothalamus volumes in adolescent Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): impact of self-reported fatigue and illness duration

Adolescent Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex illness of unknown aetiology. Emerging theories suggest ME/CFS may reflect a progressive, aberrant state of homeostasis caused by disturbances within the hypothalamus, yet few studies have investigated this using magnetic resonance imaging in adolescents with ME/CFS. We conducted a volumetric analysis to investigate whether whole and regional hypothalamus volumes in adolescents with ME/CFS differed compared to healthy controls, and whether these volumes were associated with fatigue severity and illness duration. 48 adolescents (25 ME/CFS, 23 controls) were recruited. Lateralised whole and regional hypothalamus volumes, including the anterior–superior, superior tubular, posterior, anterior-inferior and inferior tubular subregions, were calculated from T1-weighted images. When controlling for age, sex and intracranial volume, Bayesian linear regression models revealed no evidence for differences in hypothalamus volumes between groups. However, in the ME/CFS group, a weak linear relationship between increased right anterior–superior volumes and fatigue severity was identified, which was absent in controls. In addition, Bayesian quantile regression revealed a likely-positive association between illness duration and right superior tubular volumes in the ME/CFS group. While these findings suggest overall comparability in regional and whole hypothalamus volumes between adolescents with ME/CFS and controls, preliminary evidence was identified to suggest greater fatigue severity and longer illness duration were associated with greater right anterior–superior and superior-tubular volumes, respectively. These regions contain the anterior and superior divisions of the paraventricular nucleus, involved in the neuroendocrine response to stress, suggesting involvement in ME/CFS pathophysiology. However, replication in a larger, longitudinal cohort is required.

Creatine and creatinine quantified using nuclear magnetic resonance: A method validation study and clinical associations between circulating creatine and fatigue in kidney transplant recipients

BackgroundA potential contributor to fatigue in kidney transplant recipients (KTR) may be impaired creatine homeostasis. We developed and validated a high-throughput NMR assay allowing for simultaneous measurement of circulating creatine and creatinine, and determined plasma creatine and estimated intramuscular creatine concentrations in KTRs, delineated their determinants and explored their associations with self-reported fatigue. MethodsAn NMR assay was developed and validated for measurement of circulating creatinine and creatine concentrations. Plasma creatine and creatinine concentrations were measured in 618 KTR. Fatigue was assessed using the checklist individual strength. Associations of creatine parameters with fatigue was assessed using linear mixed effect models. ResultsThe NMR-based assay had good sensitivity, precision and demonstrated linearity across a large range of values. Among KTR, the mean age was 56 ± 13 years, 62% were men and eGFR was 54 ± 18 ml/min/1.73 m2. Plasma creatine concentration was 27 [19–39] µmol/L. Estimated intramuscular creatine concentration was 27 ± 7 mmol/kg. Higher plasma creatine concentration and higher estimated intramuscular creatine concentration were independently associated with a lower total fatigue score and less motivation problems. ConclusionAn NMR method for measurement of circulating creatine and creatinine which offers the potential for accurate and efficient quantification was developed. The found associations suggest that improving creatine status may play a beneficial role in mitigating fatigue.

Physical activity is related to disease severity and fatigue, but not to relapse rate in persons with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis - a self-reported questionnaire based study.

Based on theoretical models, physical activity has been introduced as a promoting method to mitigate the disease severity, fatigue and relapse rate in multiple sclerosis. The primary objective of the study was to investigate the relation between self-reported physical activity level and disease severity, fatigue and relapse rate in persons with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). A survey was offered to persons with RRMS from March 2019 to August 2021 (n = 253). Physical activity level, fatigue and disease severity were determined using the Godin Leisure-Time Questionnaire (GLTEQ), the Patient Determined Disease Steps (PDDS) scale and the Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive Functions (FSMC). Additionally, participants' relapse rate was recorded. Bivariate correlations revealed an inverse relation between physical activity level and PDDS (ρ = -0.279; p < 0.001) as well as between physical activity and FSMC (r = -0.213, p < 0.001), but not between physical activity and relapse rate (r = 0.033, p > 0.05). Multiple linear regression analyses explained 12.6% and 5.2% of the variance of PDDS and FSMC. Our findings confirm a relation between self-reported physical activity, disease severity and fatigue in persons with RRMS. However, self-reported physical activity level does not seem to affect the annualised relapse rate.

Validación de la escala FACIT-fatiga en una muestra de población hispanohablante con artritis reumatoide

IntroductionFatigue is a frequent symptom in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The Functional Assessment of Chronic illnesses Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) is an instrument that assesses self-reported fatigue and was validated for measuring fatigue in RA. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to validate the FACIT-F for use in Spanish-speaking RA patients. Materials and methodsCross-sectional, multicentre study. We included patients (n = 192) with RA diagnosis from two hospitals. Exploratory and confirmatory analyses were conducted. Construct validity and internal consistency were evaluated. ResultsFACIT-F showed high internal consistency (alpha = .87, omega = .93). Analysis of the main components showed a single factor, which explained 62% of the variance. The confirmatory factor analysis showed a satisfactory fit of the model. We found a correlation between FACIT–F, VAS fatigue (-.72 P < .001), and BRAF-MDQ (-.81 P < .001). ConclusionFACIT-F is a valid instrument with a high internal consistency for measuring fatigue in clinical practice and research in Spanish-speaking patients with RA.

Trajectory of Post-COVID Self-Reported Fatigue and Dyspnoea in Individuals Who Had Been Hospitalized by COVID-19: The LONG-COVID-EXP Multicenter Study.

Fatigue and dyspnoea are common post-COVID symptoms. The aim of this study was to apply Sankey plots and exponential bar plots for visualizing the evolution and trajectory of post-COVID fatigue and dyspnoea symptoms in a cohort of previously hospitalized COVID-19 survivors. A total of 1266 previously hospitalized patients due to COVID-19 participated in this multicentre study. They were assessed at hospital admission (T0), 8.4 months (T1), 13.2 months (T2) and 18.3 months (T3) after hospital discharge and were asked about the presence of self-reported fatigue or dyspnoea symptoms. Fatigue was defined as a self-perceived feeling of constant tiredness and/or weakness whereas dyspnoea was defined as a self-perceived feeling of shortness of breath at rest. We specifically asked for fatigue and dyspnoea that participants attributed to the infection. Clinical/hospitalization data were collected from hospital medical records. The prevalence of post-COVID fatigue was 56.94% (n = 721) at T1, 52.31% (n = 662) at T2 and 42.66% (n = 540) at T3. The prevalence of dyspnoea at rest decreased from 28.71% (n = 363) at hospital admission (T0), to 21.29% (n = 270) at T1, to 13.96% (n = 177) at T2 and 12.04% (n = 153) at T3. The Sankey plots revealed that 469 (37.08%) and 153 (12.04%) patients exhibited fatigue and dyspnoea at all follow-up periods. The recovery exponential curves show a decreased prevalence trend, showing that fatigue and dyspnoea recover the following three years after hospitalization. The regression models revealed that the female sex and experiencing the symptoms (e.g., fatigue, dyspnoea) at T1 were factors associated with the presence of post-COVID fatigue or dyspnoea at T2 and T3. The use of Sankey plots shows a fluctuating evolution of post-COVID fatigue and dyspnoea during the first two years after infection. In addition, exponential bar plots revealed a decreased prevalence of these symptoms during the first years after. The female sex is a risk factor for the development of post-COVID fatigue and dyspnoea.

Subjective cognition and memory lapses in the daily lives of breast cancer survivors: Examining associations with objective cognitive performance, fatigue, and depressed mood.

Subjective reports of cancer-related cognitive impairment often far exceed that documented using in-person neuropsychological assessment. This study evaluated whether subjective cognition was associated with real-time objective cognitive performance in daily life versus performance on an in-person neuropsychological battery, as well as fatigue and depressed mood. Participants were 47 women (M age=53.3years) who completed adjuvant treatment for early-stage breast cancer 6-36months previously. During an in-person assessment, participants completed a neuropsychological battery and questionnaires on subjective cognition, fatigue, and depressed mood. Over 14days, participants responded to up to 5 prompts that assessed real-time processing speed and memory and self-reported ratings of depressed mood and fatigue. In the evenings, participants rated their subjective cognition that day and reported on memory lapses (e.g., forgetting a word). During the in-person assessment, participants who rated their cognition worse reported worse depressed mood, but did not exhibit poorer objective cognitive performance. Women with worse rated daily subjective cognition reported more daily fatigue but did not demonstrate worse real-time objective cognition. Finally, women who reported memory lapses at the end of the day reported more fatigue and depressed mood, demonstrated better real-time performance on processing speed (p=0.001), and worse in-person processing speed and visuospatial skills (p's≤0.02). Subjective cognition was consistently associated with self-reported fatigue and depressed mood. Specific memory lapses were related to in-person and daily objective cognitive performance. This suggests that incorporating reports of memory lapses may help clinicians identify those with objectively measured cancer-related cognitive impairment.

Immunoglobulin Replacement Therapy During COVID-19 Pandemic: Practical and Psychological Impact in Patients with Antibody Deficiency.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on how health services deliver care and the mental health of the population. Due to their clinical vulnerability, to reduce in-hospital attendances during the COVID-19 pandemic, modifications in immunoglobulin treatment regimens were made for patients with antibody deficiency. These patients were also likely to experience social isolation due to shielding measure that were advised. We aimed to investigate the impact of modifying immunoglobulin treatment regimen on infection and mental health burden during shielding restrictions. Patients on immunoglobulin replacement therapy (IGRT) responded to a standardised questionnaire examining self-reported infection frequency, anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-8), fatigue (FACIT), and quality of life during the pandemic. Infection frequency and immunoglobulin trough levels were compared to pre-pandemic levels. Patients who did not change treatment modality or those who received immunoglobulin replacement at home during the pandemic reported fewer infections. In patients who received less frequent hospital infusions, there was no significant increase in infections whilst immunoglobulin trough levels remained stable. There was no significant difference in anxiety, or depression scores between the treatment modality groups. Patients reported higher fatigue scores compared to the pre-COVID general population and in those discharged following hospitalisation for COVID. Changing immunoglobulin treatment regimen did not negatively impact infection rates or psychological wellbeing. However, psychological welfare should be prioritised for this group particularly given uncertainties around COVID-19 vaccination responsiveness and continued social isolation for many.

Sex-differences in the longitudinal recovery of neuromuscular function in COVID-19 associated acute respiratory distress syndrome survivors.

Patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) following severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection may have muscle weakness up to 1 year or more following ICU discharge. However, females show greater muscle weakness than males, indicating greater neuromuscular impairment. The objective of this work was to assess sex differences in longitudinal physical functioning following ICU discharge for SARS-CoV-2 infection. We performed longitudinal assessment of physical functioning in two groups: 14 participants (7 males, 7 females) in the 3-to-6 month and 28 participants (14 males, 14 females) in the 6-to-12 month group following ICU discharge and assessed differences between the sexes. We examined self-reported fatigue, physical functioning, compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude, maximal strength, and the neural drive to the tibialis anterior muscle. We found no sex differences in the assessed parameters in the 3-to-6-month follow-up, indicating significant weakness in both sexes.Sex differences emerged in the 6-to-12-month follow-up. Specifically, females exhibited greater impairments in physical functioning, including lower strength, walking lower distances, and high neural input even 1 year following ICU-discharge. Females infected by SARS-CoV-2 display significant impairments in functional recovery up to 1 year following ICU discharge. The effects of sex should be considered in post-COVID neurorehabilitation.

Association of digital measures and self-reported fatigue: a remote observational study in healthy participants and participants with chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease.

Fatigue is a subjective, complex and multi-faceted phenomenon, commonly experienced as tiredness. However, pathological fatigue is a major debilitating symptom associated with overwhelming feelings of physical and mental exhaustion. It is a well-recognized manifestation in chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases, such as Sjögren's Syndrome and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and an important predictor of patient's health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Patient reported outcome questions are the key instruments to assess fatigue. To date, there is no consensus about reliable quantitative assessments of fatigue. Observational data for a period of one month were collected from 296 participants in the United States. Data comprised continuous multimodal digital data from Fitbit, including heart rate, physical activity and sleep features, and app-based daily and weekly questions covering various HRQoL factors including pain, mood, general physical activity and fatigue. Descriptive statistics and hierarchical clustering of digital data were used to describe behavioural phenotypes. Gradient boosting classifiers were trained to classify participant-reported weekly fatigue and daily tiredness from multi-sensor and other participant-reported data, and extract a set of key predictive features. Cluster analysis of Fitbit parameters highlighted multiple digital phenotypes, including sleep-affected, fatigued and healthy phenotypes. Features from participant-reported data and Fitbit data both contributed as key predictive features of weekly physical and mental fatigue and daily tiredness. Participant answers to pain and depressed mood-related daily questions contributed the most as top features for predicting physical and mental fatigue, respectively. To classify daily tiredness, participant answers to questions on pain, mood and ability to perform daily activities contributed the most. Features related to daily resting heart rate and step counts and bouts were overall the most important Fitbit features for the classification models. These results demonstrate that multimodal digital data can be used to quantitatively and more frequently augment pathological and non-pathological participant-reported fatigue.

Who Returns to work? Exploring the Role of Interpersonal Problems in Occupational Rehabilitation.

Current interventions designed to facilitate return to work (RTW) after long-term sick leave show weak effects, indicating the need for new approaches to the RTW process. The importance of social relationships in the workplace is widely recognized in existing RTW literature, but very little is known about the role of the interpersonal problems of the returning worker. Current research indicates that a subset of these - hostile-dominant interpersonal problems - give particular disadvantages in several life areas. This prospective cohort study aims to test whether higher levels of interpersonal problems predict lower likelihood of RTW when controlling for symptom levels (H1); and whether higher levels of hostile-dominant interpersonal problems specifically predict lower likelihood of RTW (H2). 189 patients on long-term sick leave completed a 3½-week transdiagnostic RTW program. Before treatment, self-reported interpersonal problems, chronic pain, insomnia, fatigue levels, anxiety and depression were collected. RTW data for the following year were collected from the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration. A multivariable binary logistic regression analysis found that (H2) hostile-dominant interpersonal problems significantly predicted RTW (OR = 0.44, [95% CI: 0.19, 0.98], p = .045), while a corresponding analysis (H1) found that general interpersonal problems did not. Hostile-dominant interpersonal problems negatively predict RTW after long-term sick leave, suggesting an overlooked factor in the field of occupational rehabilitation. The findings could open up new avenues for research and interventions entailed to individuals in the field of occupational rehabilitation.

Exploring causal effects of smoking and alcohol related lifestyle factors on self-report tiredness: A Mendelian randomization study.

Self-reported tiredness or low energy, often referred to as fatigue, has been linked to lifestyle factors, although data from randomized-controlled trials are lacking. We investigate whether modifiable lifestyle factors including smoking and alcohol intake related exposures (SAIEs) are causal factors for fatigue using Mendelian randomization (MR). A two-sample MR study was performed by using genome-wide association summary results from UK Biobank (UKBB), and each of the sample size is more than 100,000. We used the inverse variance weighted method, and sensitivity analyses (MR Egger, weighted median, penalized median estimators, and multivariable MR) to account for pleiotropy. The two-sample MR analyses showed inverse causal effect of never-smoking status and positive effect of current smoking status on the risk of fatigue. Similarly, genetically predicted alcoholic intake was positively associated with fatigue. The results were consistent across the different MR methods. Our Mendelian randomization analyses do support that the cessation of smoking and alcohol can decrease the risk of fatigue, and limit alcohol intake frequency can also reduce the risk.

#6837 ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SELF-REPORTED FATIGUE AND THE NEED FOR RECOVERY TIME AFTER THE MAINTENANCE HEMODIALYSIS SESSION: PROHEMO

Abstract Background and Aims Fatigue and the need for recovery time after a hemodialysis session are frequent complaints in patients with chronic kidney disease treated with maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). In the present study, we investigated whether there is an association between self-reported fatigue and the need for recovery time after HDM sessions. Method This is a cross-sectional study with data from 239 adult patients participating in the prospective cohort study “Prognostic Study of Patients on Chronic Hemodialysis” (PROHEMO), developed in Salvador, BA, Brazil. We used “The Chalder Fatigue” questionnaire (CFQ-11) to calculate fatigue scores. CFQ-11 scores can range from 0 to 33; Higher scores mean more intense fatigue. Fatigue was categorized as: absent or mild if the score was &amp;lt;4 and moderate to severe if the score was ≥4. To assess the need for recovery time from hemodialysis, participants answered a question: After finishing dialysis, do you usually need some time to recover? with two answer options (yes or no). We used logistic regression to estimate the odds ratio (OR) of the association between fatigue and need for recovery after hemodialysis, with adjustments for age, sex, diabetes, and heart failure. Results The mean age was 52.5 ± 12.5 years, 57.7% were men, 94.5% were non-white. Self-reported fatigue as absent or mild was 28.4% (68/233) and moderate to severe fatigue was 71.5% (171/233). The prevalence of need for recovery time after hemodialysis was 2.5 times higher in patients with moderate to severe fatigue (prevalence: 51.5%) than in patients with no or mild fatigue (prevalence: 20.6%); prevalence ratio: 2.50 (95% confidence interval: 1.53; 4.08). In logistic regression, an association between moderate to severe fatigue and need for recovery was observed even after adjusting for the effects of age, sex, diabetes, and heart failure (OR = 4.36; 95% CI: 2.21; 8.59). Conclusion The results suggest that patients who report a more intense degree of fatigue, more often have a greater need for time to recover after the end of the hemodialysis session. It is interesting to investigate whether interventions that reduce fatigue in patients undergoing MHD treatment result in a reduction in the need for recovery time after the hemodialysis session.

Is low phase angle a risk indicator for frailty and pre-frailty among community-dwelling older adults?

Studies investigating the association between the phase angle (PA) and frailty are scarce. The PA is considered a practical, low-cost, noninvasive measure for the early identification of this clinical condition. To investigate the association between PA and frailty/pre-frailty, nutritional and clinical aspects in older people. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 51 older people (≥ 60 years). PA was determined using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Frailty profile was determined using the criteria of unintentional weight loss, self-reported fatigue, slow gait speed, low grip strength and insufficient physical activity. Nutritional status was evaluated based on the body mass index and appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMMI). Sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity were also investigated. Sociodemographic data were collected through interviews. Prevalence of frailty/pre-frailty was 84.3%, with no difference between the sexes. The first tercile of the sample had a PA lower than 6º, which was considered low. No significant difference in PA was found between older people with or without frailty/pre-frailty. In the multiple linear regression analysis, age and ASMMI were shown to be potential independent predictors for PA. Age showed an inverse correlation with PA, while ASMMI showed a direct correlation. No association was found between PA and frailty or pre-frailty.

Dysfunction of basal ganglia functional connectivity associated with subjective and cognitive fatigue in multiple sclerosis.

Central fatigue is one of the most common symptoms in multiple sclerosis (MS). It has a profound impact on quality of life and a negative effect on cognition. Despite its widespread impact, fatigue is poorly understood and very difficult to measure. Whilst the basal ganglia has been implicated in fatigue the nature of its role and involvement with fatigue is still unclear. The aim of the present study was to establish the role of the basal ganglia in MS fatigue using functional connectivity measures. The present study examined the functional connectivity (FC) of the basal ganglia in a functional MRI study with 40 female participants with MS (mean age = 49.98 (SD = 9.65) years) and 40 female age-matched (mean age = 49.95 (SD = 9.59) years) healthy controls (HC). To measure fatigue the study employed the subjective self-report Fatigue Severity Scale and a performance measure of cognitive fatigue using an alertness-motor paradigm. To distinguish physical and central fatigue force measurements were also recorded. The results suggest that decreased local FC within the basal ganglia plays a key role in cognitive fatigue in MS. Increased global FC between the basal ganglia and the cortex may sub serve a compensatory mechanism to reduce the impact of fatigue in MS. The current study is the first to show that basal ganglia functional connectivity is associated with both subjective and objective fatigue in MS. In addition, the local FC of the basal ganglia during fatigue inducing tasks could provide a neurophysiological biomarker of fatigue.

A prospective study evaluating the association of patient-reported outcomes with activity level and sleep patterns in sarcoma survivors.

12085 Background: Sarcomas are a rare heterogeneous malignancy group affecting both sexes and all ages. Treatment is often intensive, resulting in long-term toxicities. Given the rarity of sarcoma, there is a paucity of data defining physical and emotional outcomes. The Cohort to Augment the Understanding of Sarcoma Survivorship Across the Lifespan (CAUSAL) was constructed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) to evaluate health-related outcomes. Methods: Sarcoma patients treated at VUMC from 2012 – present are enrolled into CAUSAL. Patient demographics, tumor and treatment data are abstracted from the electronic medical record. Participants complete surveys including PROMIS-57 consisting of seven domains including physical function, sleep disturbance, fatigue, and satisfaction with participation in social roles, which are reported here. Participants who have completed treatment are given a FitBit to track activity level and sleep over 12 weeks. Data are synced to an online platform, Fitabase. Body mass index (BMI) is assessed at study entry. For each participant, FitBit data were summarized using medians. To estimate the association between PROMIS-57 scores and activity and sleep data (FitBit), linear regression models were fit controlling for age, sex, and BMI of participants. Results: Of 306 CAUSAL participants who completed the PROMIS-57, 193 were post completion of sarcoma therapy. Of these, 76 also had FitBit data and are included in this analysis. Median step count was 5826 (quartiles: 3668, 7967), which was lower than average Fit Bit step count data for the US population (8170). Median daily active minutes was 252 minutes (quartiles: 174, 307). Median duration of sleep was 447 minutes (quartiles:381, 474) which was greater than the average reported by FitBit for the general US population (436 min). Step count was correlated with higher physical function score (p &lt; 0.001). A 10-point increase in physical function led to an average increase of 1291 (95% CI: 609,1973) steps when adjusting for age and sex. Compared with participants receiving treatment within 30 days prior to CAUSAL enrollment, participants not receiving treatment had 4.50 (95% CI: 1.53, 7.47) higher physical function score and 6.26 (95% CI: 1.87, 10.65) higher satisfaction in their social roles. There was no correlation between minutes of sleep recorded by FitBit and PROMIS responses. Conclusions: Using PROMIS-57, and FitBits, we demonstrated an association between higher step counts and self-reported higher physical function but did not find a correlation between FitBit recorded activity level/sleep and self-reported sleep disturbance or fatigue scores. Further, our data suggests patients with sarcoma sleep more and walk less than the general US population. As enrollment continues in CAUSAL, we will focus on PROMIS scores over time and their association with activity level and sleep.