Relationship between Changes in Fatigue and Exercise by Follow-Up Period

[Dolphin]

Free: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4826995/

Korean J Fam Med. 2016 Mar; 37(2): 78–84.
Published online 2016 Mar 25. doi: 10.4082/kjfm.2016.37.2.78
PMCID: PMC4826995
Relationship between Changes in Fatigue and Exercise by Follow-Up Period
Seung Min Oh,1 Woo Kyung Bae,

2 Se Ryung Choo,3 Hee Tae Kim,1 Hyun Ho Kim,1 Sang Hyun Lee,1 and Han Sol Jeong1


Abstract
Background
Fatigue is one of the most common presenting symptoms in primary care in Korea. In this study, we aimed to determine the effect of exercise intervention on the severity of fatigue of unknown medical cause during a period of follow-up.

Methods
We used the data collected from an outpatient fatigue clinic in Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. The study was conducted from March 3, 2010 to May 31, 2014. We measured the body mass index of each patient and evaluated variables including lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, and regular exercise), quality of sleep, anxiety, depression, stress severity, and fatigue severity using questionnaires. A total of 152 participants who completed questionnaires to determine changes in fatigue severity and the effect of exercise for each period were evaluated. We used univariate analysis to verify possible factors related to fatigue and then conducted multivariate analysis using these factors and the literature.

Results
Of 130 patients with the complaint of chronic fatigue for over 6 months, over 90 percent reported moderate or severe fatigue on the Fatigue Severity Scale and Brief Fatigue Inventory questionnaires. The fatigue severity scores decreased and fatigue improved over time. The amount of exercise was increased in the first month, but decreased afterwards.

Conclusion
There was no significant relationship between changes in the amount of exercise and fatigue severity in each follow-up period. Randomized controlled trials and a cohort study with a more detailed exercise protocol in an outpatient setting are needed in the future.

Keywords: Fatigue, Physical Activity, Life Style, Metabolic Equivalent

 

[Dolphin]

This trial is a mess (for various reasons).

After an increase in the first month, people ended up on average doing less exercise than at baseline. Anyway for each of the four fatigue measures at the three time points, there were no correlations between change in fatigue and change in exercise.

 

[trishrhymes]

I agree it's a mess - no properly defined patient population (6 months unexplained fatigue - many of them suffering anxiety, depression, stress, overwork etc.), no measure of the amount of exercise actually undertaken, etc etc.

Remind you of anything?

 

[Jan]

Lord help us, are these treatments being used in every continent now?

 

[Snow Leopard]

This trial is a mess. After an increase in the first month, people ended up on average doing less exercise than at baseline.

How do we know this isn't typical of such interventions, simply that others didn't report the level of exercise explicitly.

edit - I didn't realise it was just more questionnaires. Why no actigraphy in such studies. Why? Why? WHY?

 

[JaimeS]

Why no actigraphy in such studies. Why? Why? WHY?

But... but that's an objective measurement...!