RESEARCH - Occurrence and correlates of fatigue in psoriatic arthritis

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Ann Rheum Dis. 2009 Oct;68(10):1553-8. Epub 2008 Oct 17.

Occurrence and correlates of fatigue in psoriatic arthritis.

Husted JA, Tom BD, Schentag CT, Farewell VT, Gladman DD.

Department of Health Studies and Gerontology, University of Waterloo,

Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between fatigue and

disease-related and psychosocial variables in psoriatic arthritis

(PsA).

METHOD: 499 patients attending the University of Toronto PsA Clinic

were administered the modified fatigue severity scale (mFSS). At the

time of mFSS administration, clinical and laboratory measures of

disease activity and damage were recorded. Linear regression models

were used to examine the cross-sectional relationship between

disease-related and psychosocial variables and mFSS scores.

RESULTS: At least moderate fatigue occurred in 49.5% of patients and

severe fatigue in 28.7%. Univariately the vast majority of variables

were significantly associated with mFSS scores. The final multivariate

model was composed of female sex, the medical outcome survey short

form 36 (SF-36) pain and mental health scales, the number of

fibromyalgia tender points, the health assessment questionnaire (HAQ)

and " ever used " methotrexate, and explained 54.5% of the variation in

mFSS scores. The SF-36 mental health scale played the largest role in

the multivariate model, uniquely accounting for 6.6% of the variation

in the fatigue severity scale. The disease-related factors significant

at the univariate level did not achieve statistical significance in

the context of HAQ and pain measures.

CONCLUSION: Fatigue is a common symptom in PsA, and is associated, in

a multivariate model, with pain, female sex, physical functional

disability, medication status and psychological distress. Fatigue

appears to provide some information that does not overlap with the

core set of outcome domains in PsA.

PMID: 18930991

http://preview.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18930991

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