RESEARCH - Factors related to fatigue in women and men with early RA: TIRA

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J Rehabil Med. 2009 Nov;41(11):904-12.

Factors related to fatigue in women and men with early rheumatoid

arthritis: The Swedish TIRA study.

Thyberg I, Dahlström O, Thyberg M.

Division of Rheumatology, Linköping University Hospital, SE-581 85

Linköping, Sweden. E-mail: ingrid.thyberg@....

OBJECTIVE: To study whether there are differences between women and

men with regard to the reported level of fatigue, to explore the

strength of the relations between fatigue and disease activity, pain,

sleep disturbance, mental health, and activity limitation in early

rheumatoid arthritis, and to explore the consistency of such findings.

DESIGN: Analyses and comparisons of cross-sectional data.

SUBJECTS: Two hundred and seventy-six patients, 191 women and 85 men,

with early rheumatoid arthritis were included. METHODS: Patients were

examined with respect to 28-joint count disease activity score, and

disability variables reflecting pain, sleep disturbance, fatigue,

mental health, and activity limitation, at follow-ups at 1, 2 and 3

years after diagnosis.

RESULTS: Women reported somewhat more fatigue than men. Fatigue was

closely and rather consistently related to disease activity, pain and

activity limitation, and also to mental health and sleep disturbance.

CONCLUSION: Although this study does not permit conclusions to be

drawn about causal directions, statistical relationships may be

related to clinical conceptions about causation: when disease activity

can be significantly reduced by pharmacological treatment this may

have a positive effect on fatigue. Specific treatment with respect to

the mentioned disability aspects that are related to fatigue is also a

clinically reasonable strategy.

PMID: 19841842

http://preview.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19841842

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