Fatigue in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and correlated factors

Background Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that leads to muscle weakness and paralysis. Fatigue is a disabling symptom, frequently reported in ALS, but remains under-investigated in this population. Thus, an accurate investigation of this symptom and possible...

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Main Authors: Mariana Asmar Alencar, Bruna Laura Soares, Marcela Ferreira de Andrade Rangel, Juliana Silva Abdo, Rayane Alves Pereira de Almeida, Caroline Martins de Araújo, Leonardo Cruz de Souza, Gisele de Cássia Gomes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Thieme Revinter Publicações 2022-10-01
Series:Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria
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Online Access:http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-0042-1758563
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author Mariana Asmar Alencar
Bruna Laura Soares
Marcela Ferreira de Andrade Rangel
Juliana Silva Abdo
Rayane Alves Pereira de Almeida
Caroline Martins de Araújo
Leonardo Cruz de Souza
Gisele de Cássia Gomes
author_facet Mariana Asmar Alencar
Bruna Laura Soares
Marcela Ferreira de Andrade Rangel
Juliana Silva Abdo
Rayane Alves Pereira de Almeida
Caroline Martins de Araújo
Leonardo Cruz de Souza
Gisele de Cássia Gomes
author_sort Mariana Asmar Alencar
collection DOAJ
description Background Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that leads to muscle weakness and paralysis. Fatigue is a disabling symptom, frequently reported in ALS, but remains under-investigated in this population. Thus, an accurate investigation of this symptom and possible associated factors in this clinical condition is needed to assist in the establishment of an adequate treatment approach. Objective To investigate the presence of fatigue in individuals with ALS and possible factors correlated with this symptom. Methods Sixty-five individuals with sporadic ALS participated in the present study. Demographic, clinical, and functional aspects were investigated. Evaluations involved the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), ALS Functional Scale (ALSRFS-R), and Quality of Life (QoL) questionnaire (ALSAQ-40). Descriptive and correlation analyses were performed with SPSS statistical program for Windows version 19.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results Among the 65 individuals evaluated, 44.6% (n = 29) presented fatigue based on the FSS. The mean fatigue intensity was 5.4 ± 1.2 and only 10.4% used a specific medication for fatigue. Differences between the groups with and without fatigue were found regarding sex (p = 0.049), pain intensity (p = 0.026), functioning (p = 0.004), disease severity (p = 0.029), and QoL (p = 0.000). Fatigue was correlated with pain intensity (r = 0.425; p = 0.001), muscle strength (r = - 0.356; p = 0.004), functioning (r = - 0.363; p = 0.003), and QoL (r = 0.481; p = 0.000). No correlations were found with age, time since diagnosis, cramps, or other mobility parameters. Conclusions Fatigue is a common symptom among individuals with ALS and may be present in all stages of the disease. This symptom was correlated with worse functioning, poorer QoL, greater pain intensity, disease severity, muscle weakness, and the female sex in individuals with ALS.
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spelling doaj-art-796af12d4b6f419ca1e0df5facbb9c6f2025-08-20T02:07:16ZengThieme Revinter PublicaçõesArquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria0004-282X1678-42272022-10-0180101045105110.1055/s-0042-1758563Fatigue in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and correlated factorsMariana Asmar Alencar0Bruna Laura Soares1Marcela Ferreira de Andrade Rangel2Juliana Silva Abdo3Rayane Alves Pereira de Almeida4Caroline Martins de Araújo5Leonardo Cruz de Souza6Gisele de Cássia Gomes7Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Fisioterapia, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Fisioterapia, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Fisioterapia, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Fisioterapia, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Fisioterapia, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociência, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociência, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Fisioterapia, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.Background Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that leads to muscle weakness and paralysis. Fatigue is a disabling symptom, frequently reported in ALS, but remains under-investigated in this population. Thus, an accurate investigation of this symptom and possible associated factors in this clinical condition is needed to assist in the establishment of an adequate treatment approach. Objective To investigate the presence of fatigue in individuals with ALS and possible factors correlated with this symptom. Methods Sixty-five individuals with sporadic ALS participated in the present study. Demographic, clinical, and functional aspects were investigated. Evaluations involved the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), ALS Functional Scale (ALSRFS-R), and Quality of Life (QoL) questionnaire (ALSAQ-40). Descriptive and correlation analyses were performed with SPSS statistical program for Windows version 19.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results Among the 65 individuals evaluated, 44.6% (n = 29) presented fatigue based on the FSS. The mean fatigue intensity was 5.4 ± 1.2 and only 10.4% used a specific medication for fatigue. Differences between the groups with and without fatigue were found regarding sex (p = 0.049), pain intensity (p = 0.026), functioning (p = 0.004), disease severity (p = 0.029), and QoL (p = 0.000). Fatigue was correlated with pain intensity (r = 0.425; p = 0.001), muscle strength (r = - 0.356; p = 0.004), functioning (r = - 0.363; p = 0.003), and QoL (r = 0.481; p = 0.000). No correlations were found with age, time since diagnosis, cramps, or other mobility parameters. Conclusions Fatigue is a common symptom among individuals with ALS and may be present in all stages of the disease. This symptom was correlated with worse functioning, poorer QoL, greater pain intensity, disease severity, muscle weakness, and the female sex in individuals with ALS.http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-0042-1758563amyotrophic lateral sclerosisfatiguephysical functional performance
spellingShingle Mariana Asmar Alencar
Bruna Laura Soares
Marcela Ferreira de Andrade Rangel
Juliana Silva Abdo
Rayane Alves Pereira de Almeida
Caroline Martins de Araújo
Leonardo Cruz de Souza
Gisele de Cássia Gomes
Fatigue in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and correlated factors
Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
fatigue
physical functional performance
title Fatigue in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and correlated factors
title_full Fatigue in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and correlated factors
title_fullStr Fatigue in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and correlated factors
title_full_unstemmed Fatigue in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and correlated factors
title_short Fatigue in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and correlated factors
title_sort fatigue in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and correlated factors
topic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
fatigue
physical functional performance
url http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-0042-1758563
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