Fatigue in Egyptian patients with rheumatic diseases: a qualitative study

Fatigue-Related Changes of Daily Function: Most Promising Measures for the Digital Age

Background

Fatigue is a prominent symptom in many diseases and is strongly associated with impaired daily function. The measurement of daily function is currently almost always done with questionnaires, which are subjective and imprecise. With the recent advances of digital wearable technologies, novel approaches to evaluate daily function quantitatively and objectively in real-life conditions are increasingly possible. This also creates new possibilities to measure fatigue-related changes of daily function using such technologies.

Summary

This review examines which digitally assessable parameters in immune-mediated inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases may have the greatest potential to reflect fatigue-related changes of daily function.

Key Messages

Results of a standardized analysis of the literature reporting about perception-, capacity-, and performance-evaluating assessment tools indicate that changes of the following parameters: physical activity, independence of daily living, social participation, working life, mental status, cognitive and aerobic capacity, and supervised and unsupervised mobility performance have the highest potential to reflect fatigue-related changes of daily function. These parameters thus hold the greatest potential for quantitatively measuring fatigue in representative diseases in real-life conditions, e.g., with digital wearable technologies. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, this is a new approach to analysing evidence for the design of performance-based digital assessment protocols in human research, which may stimulate further systematic research in this area.

The Assessment of Fatigue in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients and Its Impact on Their Quality of Life

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common autoimmune illness that manifests mostly as chronic, symmetric, and progressive polyarthritis with a global frequency of 0.3−1.0%. RA is a disease that affects people all over the world. In India, the prevalence is estimated to be 0.7%, with around 10 million persons suffering from RA. Most people with rheumatoid arthritis experience fatigue on most days, with over 70% experiencing symptoms similar to chronic fatigue syndrome. Patients rate fatigue as a top priority and believe this unmanageable symptom is ignored by clinicians; a systematic review shows the biological agents for RA inflammation have only a small effect on fatigue. Fatigue predicts and reduces the quality of life, and it is as difficult to cope with as pain. Physicians have traditionally concentrated on the inflammatory aspects of the illness (e.g., synovitis), whereas RA patients have prioritized pain, exhaustion, sleep difficulties, and other quality-of-life issues. Aims and Objectives: The basic aim of the study was to access the incidence of fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis and evaluate its impact on the quality of life in these patients using the MAF scale (multidimensional assessment of fatigue) after prior permission for the first time in an Asian population. Results: A total of 140 subjects and 100 controls were included in the study. Age was closely matched between the study subjects and controls. Among study subjects with the disease, 94 (67%) had a disease duration ≤ 5 years, 26 (19%) had a disease duration between 6−10 years, 10 (7%) had a duration of 11−15 years and 10 (7%) had >10 years disease duration. Among the sample, 31 (25%) study subjects had a DAS score ≤ 4.0, 63 (50%) study subjects had a DAS score (disease activity score) between 4.01 and 6.0, and in the remaining 31 (25%) study subjects, the DAS score was >6.0. The mean DAS score among study subjects was 4.96, and the study subjects had a mean activity of daily living (ADL) score of 11.64; controls had a mean score of 2.42 with a statistically significant p-value. The global fatigue index was higher in study subjects, with a mean of 33.16 in contrast with a mean of 14.41 in the controls with a significant p-value. Conclusion: Our study fatigue was a persistent problem, despite treatment. The median level of fatigue experienced by study subjects with RA was high. Therefore, as persistent fatigue is associated with functional loss, fatigue in RA remains an ‘unmet need’ and continues to be ignored by clinicians.

Disparities in healthcare in psoriatic arthritis: an analysis of 439 patients from 13 countries

OBJECTIVES

Patient care can vary substantially by country. The objective was to explore differences in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) across countries for disease activity, impact and treatments.

METHODS

A cross-sectional analysis of 13 countries from the Remission/Flare in PsA study (NCT03119805) of consecutive adult patients with definite PsA was performed. Countries were classified into tertiles by gross domestic product (GDP)/capita. Disease activity (Disease Activity in PsA, DAPSA and Minimal Disease Activity, MDA) and their components, disease impact (patient-reported outcomes) and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) were analysed per country and compared between the three tertiles of GDP/capita by parametric and non-parametric tests. We also explored the percentage of patients with significant disease activity (DAPSA >14) and no ongoing bDMARD prescription.

RESULTS

In 439 patients (50.6% male, mean age 52.3 years, mean disease duration 10.1 years), disease activity and disease impact were higher in the lowest GDP/capita countries. DAPSA remission and MDA were attained in the lowest tertile in 7.0% and 18.4% patients, vs 29.1% and 49.5% in the middle tertile and 16.8% and 41.3% in the high tertile, respectively (all p<0.001). bDMARDs use was similar in the tertiles (overall mean 61%). The overall rate of patients with DAPSA >14 and no bDMARDs was 18.5%, and was higher in lower GDP/capita countries (p=0.004).

CONCLUSION

PsA patients from countries with the lowest GDP/capita, despite similar use of bDMARDs, were more likely to have high disease activity and worse disease impact. There is a need for more equity in healthcare.

Qualitative interview study exploring the patient experience of living with axial spondyloarthritis and fatigue: difficult, demanding and draining

OBJECTIVE

To explore patients' lived experiences of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and fatigue.

DESIGN

Interpretative phenomenological analysis (lived experience) was used as the study design. Analysis drew together codes with similar meaning to create superordinate and subordinate themes.

SETTING

Rheumatology departments in three National Health Service Foundation Trusts in the north, midlands and south of England.

PARTICIPANTS

A purposive sample of seventeen axSpA patients were recruited. The age range was 22-72 years (median age 46), nine were male and eight, female.

RESULTS

A central concept of achieving balance was identified as the active process of integrating axSpA symptoms and fatigue into daily life, working with and not against their condition to lead a fulfilled life. This was conveyed through three superordinate themes: struggling to find energy, engaging in everyday life and persevering through difficulties. Struggling to find energy was the challenge of retaining enough stamina to do things in daily life. Engaging in everyday life highlighted dedication to being active and organised, learning through experience and acceptance of a changed way of being. Persevering through difficulties identified the physical and emotional effort required to keep moving forward and the importance of feeling supported.

CONCLUSION

Achieving balance through finding energy, engaging and persevering everyday was fundamental to having the best possible life. The experience of energy emerged as a distinct but related component of fatigue. However, while energy could be maintained or replenished, fatigue was more difficult to overcome and required greater effort. Energy may be a useful indicator of an individual's current state and ability to sustain activities that supports their well-being, such as exercise. Awareness of the elements of achieving balance in axSpA may enable patients and clinicians to work together to tailor treatments to individual patient need.

Individual and country-level socioeconomic factors and health outcomes in spondyloarthritis: analysis of the ASAS perSpA study

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the association between individual and country-level socioeconomic (SE) factors and health outcomes across spondyloarthritis (SpA) phenotypes.

METHODS

Patients with axial SpA, peripheral SpA or psoriatic arthritis (PsA) from the ASAS-perSpA study (23 countries) were included. The effect of individual (age, gender, education and marital status) and country-level (e.g. Gross Domestic Product [GDP]) SE factors on health outcomes (ASDAS ≥ 2.1, ASDAS, BASFI, fatigue and ASAS-HI) was assessed in mixed-effects models, adjusted for potential confounders. Interactions between SE factors and disease phenotype were tested. A mediation analysis was conducted to explore whether the impact of country-level SE factors on ASDAS was mediated through b/tsDMARD uptake.

RESULTS

In total 4185 patients (61% males, mean age 45) were included (65% axSpA, 25% PsA, 10% pSpA). Female gender (β = 0.14 (95%CI 0.06-0.23)) lower educational level (0.35 (0.25-0.45)) and single marital status (0.09 (0.01-0.17)) were associated with higher ASDAS. Living in lower GDP countries was also associated with higher ASDAS (0.39 (0.16-0.63)) and 7% of this association was mediated by b/tsDMARD uptake. Higher BASFI was similarly associated with female gender, lower education and living alone, without effect of country-level SE factors. Female gender and lower educational level were associated with worse ASAS-HI, while more fatigue was associated with female gender and higher country-level SE factors (lower GDP, -0.46 (-0.89 to -0.04)). No differences across disease phenotype were found.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study shows country-driven variations in health outcomes in SpA, independently influenced by individual and country-level SE factors and without differences across disease phenotypes.

Sexual dysfunction and its determinants in women with rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate sexual function in Tunisian women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to examine factors that are predictors of female sexual dysfunction including sociocultural factors, disease activity, and psychological status.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study including 71 women with a confirmed diagnosis of RA according to the 2010 American College of Rheumatology/European League against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) criteria. Clinical and sociodemographic characteristics were collected. The participants were asked to complete the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), which contains 19 questions, assessing six areas of female sexual function in the previous 4 weeks. Sexual dysfunction was defined as an FSFI score less than or equal to 26.55. The psychosocial status was evaluated by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale. Prevalence of sexual dysfunction and predictors of sexual difficulties were assessed.

RESULTS

The prevalence of female sexual dysfunction in women with RA was 49.3%. All areas were altered especially desire (2.92 ± 1.3), arousal (3.27 ± 1.5), and orgasm (3.77 ± 1.5). In univariate analysis, sexual dysfunction was correlated with the age of patients (p = 0.049), the age of partners (p = 0.013), pain (p = 0.001), number of night awakenings (p = 0.02), morning stiffness (p = 0.010), tender joints (p = 0.05), disease activity score (DAS28 ESR) (p = 0.043), fatigue (p = 0.028), and Health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) (p = 0.02). In multivariate analysis, the age of patients and pain were predictive factors of sexual dysfunction. By analyzing each area of the FSFI score, the age of patients was the independent variable associated with desire. Tender joints were associated with lubrication and the age of partners with arousal, orgasm, and satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that rheumatoid arthritis has a negative impact on patients' sexuality. Age of patients and partners, pain, and tender joints appear to be the main factors influencing sexual function.

A Qualitative Metasynthesis of the Experience of Fatigue Across Five Chronic Conditions

CONTEXT

Fatigue is a symptom reported by patients with a variety of chronic conditions. However, it is unclear whether fatigue is similar across conditions. Better understanding its nature could provide important clues regarding the mechanisms underlying fatigue and aid in developing more effective therapeutic interventions to decrease fatigue and improve quality of life.

OBJECTIVES

To better understand the nature of fatigue, we performed a qualitative metasynthesis exploring patients' experiences of fatigue across five chronic noninfectious conditions: heart failure, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic kidney disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

METHODS

We identified 34 qualitative studies written in the last 10 years describing fatigue in patients with one of the aforementioned conditions using three databases (Embase, PubMed, and CINAHL). Studies with patient quotes describing fatigue were synthesized, integrated, and interpreted.

RESULTS

Across conditions, patients consistently described fatigue as persistent overwhelming tiredness, severe lack of energy, and physical weakness that worsened over time. Four common themes emerged: running out of batteries, a bad life, associated symptoms (e.g., sleep disturbance, impaired cognition, and depression), and feeling misunderstood by others, with a fear of not being believed or being perceived negatively.

CONCLUSION

In adults with heart failure, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic kidney disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, we found that fatigue was characterized by severe energy depletion, which had negative impacts on patients' lives and caused associated symptoms that exacerbated fatigue. Yet, fatigue is commonly misunderstood and inadequately acknowledged.

Predictors of fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis

People with RA commonly experience fatigue. Fatigue is a key contributor to increased clinical care costs, primary care consultations and employment loss. Despite this, our understanding of the prognostic of factors of poor fatigue outcomes is lacking and fatigue is poorly managed. Examining longitudinal predictors of fatigue can identify both individuals ‘at risk’ of poor prognosis, and candidate mechanisms that are worthy of greater inspection. This review discusses the factors most commonly investigated as being implicated in the prognosis of RA fatigue. The available data appears to implicate generic factors such as pain, mental health, disability and sleep as consistent predictors of fatigue outcome, while the role of disease activity and inflammation seems less clear. However, the existing data are not without methodological limitations and there have been no specific studies primarily designed to investigate the inflammatory biomarkers of fatigue. Future studies are required to more comprehensively and robustly determine the mechanisms of fatigue.

Fatigue in systemic lupus erythematosus : Association with disease activity, quality of life and psychosocial factors

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to determine which disease-related factors and non-disease features can explain the presence of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-related fatigue in Turkish patients.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was carried out with 99 SLE patients and 71 healthy controls. To assess fatigue and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) the participants were asked to complete two questionnaires: the short form-36 health survey (SF-36) and the multidimensional assessment of fatigue (MAF) scale. Anxiety and depression of participants were assessed by the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS).

RESULTS

A total of 99 patients (female/male 95/4) and 71 controls (female/male 40/31) were studied. The mean age and standard deviation (±SD) of patients and controls were 43.3 ± 12.2 years and 43.2 ± 12.1 years, respectively. The mean (SD) disease duration was 7.8 ± 5.3 years and median SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) score was 0 (range = 0-16). The level of fatigue was higher in patients compared to controls with mean MAF scores of 24.7 ± 12.2 and 12.8 ± 9.9 (p < 0.001), respectively. The HADS-D and HADS-A scores were also significantly higher in SLE patients (6.6 ± 4.3 vs. 3.6 ± 2.9, p < 0.001 and 7.2 ± 4 vs. 4.9 ± 4, p = 0.007, respectively). There were no significant associations between the MAF and SLEDAI scores (r = 0.05, p = 0.63) but MAF scores positively correlated with age, HADS-A and HADS-D scores and negatively correlated with physical component summary (PCS), mental component summary (MCS) and each domain of SF-36 except role emotional in SLE patients.

CONCLUSION

Fatigue is an important factor influencing patient daily life independent from disease activity in our study. The SLE patients with severe fatigue should also be assessed for other possible underlying causes such as anxiety, depression and poor quality of life.

Fatigue in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: Association With Sleep Quality, Mood Status, and Disease Activity

OBJECTIVES

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease, characterized by polyarthritis and systemic manifestations. RA-fatigue is a significant problem and adds on disease burden. Sleep disturbance, depression, and disease activity are suggested contributing factors to RA-fatigue; however, their combined role did not examine before among Egyptian RA patients. The objective of the study was to investigate the presence of fatigue, sleep and mood disturbances in RA patients. Also, to evaluate the possible association of poor sleep, depression, and disease activity with RA-fatigue.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 115 RA patients diagnosed according to the 2010 ACR-EULAR criteria and 46 age and sex matched controls. Fatigue using the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue-Global Fatigue Index, sleep using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and mood status using Beck Depression Inventory were assessed for all participants. RA disease activity was evaluated using disease activity score-28 joints.

RESULTS

RA patients had higher mean fatigue, sleep disturbance, and depression scores (27.2±8.9, 6.4±3.6, and 12.8±7.3; respectively) than controls (22.7±7, 4.8±3, 7.8±5.9; respectively) (P<.05). Poor sleep, depression and higher disease activity were significantly correlated with fatigue (r=0.4, r=0.65, r=0.55; respectively) (P<.001). The three variables may explain up to 49.1% of the variation in fatigue on multiple regression analysis.

CONCLUSION

Fatigue, poor sleep, and depression are more common in Egyptian patients with RA. A remarkably higher fatigue was associated with poor sleep, depression, and high disease activity, thus monitoring these silent comorbidities in clinical practice is required.

Fatigue and sleep quality in rheumatoid arthritis patients during hospital admission

Objectives

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic disease of connective tissue characterised by chronic course with periods of exacerbation and remission. Even in the early stages of the disease patients report the occurrence of fatigue and sleep disorders. Reduced sleep quality and chronic fatigue are common among patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The aim of the research was to evaluate the severity of fatigue and sleep quality assessment among patients hospitalised with rheumatoid arthritis and to determine the relation between the level of symptoms of fatigue and sleep quality and variables such as: age, gender, disease duration, marital status, applied pharmacological treatment, and pain intensity.

Materials and methods

The study involved 38 patients (12 men and 26 women) hospitalised in the Rheumatologic Ward of the Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Hospital of the University of Medical Sciences. The average age of the entire group was 56.26 years. Fatigue was evaluated with use of Polish version of Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F), while in order to evaluate sleep quality within the examined group of patients the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used.

Results

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the analysed group have lower sleep quality, and within subjects with such a diagnosis the fatigue is present. The relation was found between fatigue and such variables as: age, illness duration, marital status, applied pharmacological treatment, and severity of pain. Sleep quality within patients with RA is correlated by such variables as: age, gender, applied pharmaceutical treatment, and severity of pain. It was identified that patients with lower sleep quality experience increased levels of fatigue.

Conclusions

There is a need to clarify which factors determine the level of fatigue and sleep quality in patients suffering from RA in future population-based research and to indicate to doctors, nurses, psychologists, and physiotherapists the significance and importance of the problem, which requires specialised and holistic care.

Associations of perceived social support and positive psychological resources with fatigue symptom in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Objective

This study aimed to assess the association between perceived social support (PSS) and fatigue and the roles of hope, optimism, general self-efficacy and resilience as mediators or moderators on PSS-fatigue association among Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients in China.

Methods

A multi-center, cross-sectional study was conducted withinpatients diagnosed with RA in northeast China, in which 305 eligible inpatients were enrolled. The Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Herth Hope Index, Life Orientation Test Revised, General Self-Efficacy Scale and Ego-Resiliency Scale were completed. The associations of PSS, hope, optimism, general self-efficacy and resilience with fatigue and the moderating roles of these positive psychological constructs were tested by hierarchical linear regression. Asymptotic and resampling strategies were utilized to assess the mediating roles of hope, optimism, general self-efficacy and resilience.

Results

The mean score of the MFI was 57.88 (SD = 9.50). PSS, hope, optimism and resilience were negatively associated with RA-related fatigue, whereas DAS28-CRP was positively associated. Only resilience positively moderated the PSS-fatigue association (B = 0.03, β = 0.13, P<0.01). Hope, optimism and resilience may act as partial mediators in the association between PSS and fatigue symptoms (hope: a*b = -0.16, BCa 95%CI: -0.27, -0.03; optimism: a*b = -0.20, BCa 95%CI: -0.30, -0.10; resilience: a*b = -0.12, BCa 95%CI: -0.21–0.04).

Conclusions

Fatigue is a severe symptom among RA patients. Resilience may positively moderate the PSS-fatigue association. Hope, optimism and resilience may act as partial mediators in the association. PSS, hope, optimism and resilience may contribute as effective recourses to alleviate fatigue, upon which PSS probably has the greatest effect.

Health Equity Considerations for Developing and Reporting Patient-reported Outcomes in Clinical Trials: A Report from the OMERACT Equity Special Interest Group

OBJECTIVE

Despite advances integrating patient-centered outcomes into rheumatologic studies, concerns remain regarding their representativeness across diverse patient groups and how this affects equity. The Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Equity Working Group aims to determine whether and how to address equity issues within the core outcome sets of domains and instruments.

METHODS

We surveyed current and previous OMERACT meeting attendees and members of the Campbell and Cochrane Equity Group regarding whether to address equity issues within the OMERACT Filter 2.0 Core Outcome Sets and how to assess the appropriateness of domains, instruments, and measurement properties among diverse patients. At OMERACT 2016, results of the survey and a narrative review of differential psychosocial effects of rheumatoid arthritis (i.e., on men) were presented to stimulate discussion and develop a research agenda.

RESULTS

We proposed 6 moments for which an equity lens could be added to the development, selection, or testing of patient-reported outcome measures (PROM): (1) recruitment, (2) domain selection, (3) feasibility in diverse settings, (4) instrument validity, (5) thresholds of meaning, and (6) consideration of statistical power of subgroup analyses for outcome reporting.

CONCLUSION

There is a need to (1) conduct a systematic review to assess how equity and population characteristics have been considered in PROM development and whether these differences influence the ranking of importance of outcome domains or a patient's response to questionnaire items, and (2) conduct the same survey described above with patients representing groups experiencing health inequities.

Patient-reported outcomes in Asia: evaluation of the properties of the Rheumatoid Arthritis Impact of Disease (RAID) score in multiethnic Asian patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) such as the Europe-developed Rheumatoid Arthritis Impact of Disease (RAID) are important to assess patients' quality of life. Their interpretation may be culture-dependent. To evaluate the potential utility of RAID in multiethnic Asian rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Cross-sectional study of English-speaking RA patients in a Singapore tertiary center. Validity of RAID (scored between 0 and 10 with higher score indicating worse status) was assessed by Spearman's correlation with patient global assessment (PGA), DAS28 and short form 12 (SF-12). Consistency was assessed by Cronbach's alpha and test-retest reliability by intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) 7 days after (n = 20). Feasibility was assessed by % of missing data. Eighty-two patients were analyzed: median age 53 years (Q1:Q3 44.7; 60.7), disease duration 4.2 years (1.4; 8.8), 66 (81%) women and 54 (66%) Chinese. Although RA was moderately active (median DAS28, 3.2 (2.5; 4.3)), RAID score was very low (median, 1.9 (0.6; 3.7)) with 44 (53.7%) patients having RAID score between 0 and 2. RAID was strongly correlated with PGA (r = 0.75), and moderately with other outcomes (DAS28 r = 0.46, SF12 physical r = -0.45 and SF12 mental r = -0.52, p < 0.0001 for all). Consistency was high (Cronbach's alpha = 0.91). Test-retest reliability was excellent; ICC = 0.84 (95% confidence interval 0.74-0.90). Feasibility was good with only 2 patients with missing data. Despite considerable floor effects, the RAID appeared to be a valid and practical PRO to assess the impact of RA in Asia. Multiethnic Asian patients may underestimate the impact of their disease compared to European patients.

Perceptions of the Cause, Impact and Management of Persistent Fatigue in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Following Tumour Necrosing Factor Inhibition Therapy

INTRODUCTION

Fatigue is a major symptom of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the most common chronic inflammatory joint disease. The present study explored patients' experiences of RA fatigue to elucidate unique elements and management strategies.

METHODS

This single site study recruited tumour necrosis factor-α inhibitor (TNFi)-treated RA patients with a moderate/good response in disease activity and persistent moderate/greater fatigue on a five-point verbal rating scale. This qualitative descriptive design used semi-structured questions, individual interviews and content analysis of narrative data.

RESULTS

Ten patients were interviewed (six women), with age and disease duration ranges of 44-75 and 6-36 years, respectively. Perceptions of the RA fatigue experience generated four categories (experiencing a distinct, yet seldom discussed RA symptom; seeking an explanation for fatigue; being in an incapacitating state; and trying to manage) and eight subcategories. Fatigue was newly identified as a distinct part of the entity of RA. While patients proposed many plausible root causes, the only rational explanation for the nature of this fatigue was that it was integral to their RA. Singularly, fatigue contributed considerably to RA-imposed lifestyle restrictions. Patients had learnt to accommodate and self-manage fatigue in the absence of professional input. Novel management strategies proposed included patients talking about the nature of RA fatigue with others and the need for staff to alert patients to this distinct symptom of RA.

CONCLUSION

Fatigue, branded as a distinct symptom of RA, exerted an identifiable impact on patients. Fatigue is potentially amenable to modification; talking about fatigue was proposed as a novel management strategy. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.