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Fatigue in the patient with multiple sclerosis
Author(s) -
Hart Laura K.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
research in nursing and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1098-240X
pISSN - 0160-6891
DOI - 10.1002/nur.4770010402
Subject(s) - feeling , multiple sclerosis , medicine , significant difference , chronic fatigue , physical therapy , psychology , chronic fatigue syndrome , psychiatry , social psychology
Three hundred thirty‐five multiple sclerosis patients and 30 healthy persons completed a questionnaire retrospectively about their fatigue experiences throughout a usual day. Using a Type I design (Lindquist, 1956) to analyze differences in daily fatigue feelings, five subject groups (four patient groups with different levels of mobility and one healthy control group) were compared. A significant difference in the degree of fatigue feelings felt by the groups was found. The patients with multiple sclerosis, regardless of mobility level, experienced more severe feelings of fatigue throughout the day than did the healthy subjects. Also, the less mobile groups experienced more severe levels of fatigue. No significant difference was noted in the patterns of the five groups' fatigue progression. No significant differences in types of fatigue symptoms were found between the subject groups. The following characteristics were more apparent in the patient groups than in the healthy subjects when fatigued: () disease symptoms appeared to be accentuated and () there were greater indications of emotional stress.