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Fatigue in childhood chronic disease
Merel M Nap-van der Vlist1, Geertje W Dalmeijer2, Martha A Grootenhuis3
1Department of Paediatrics, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Archives of Disease in Childhood
|June 9, 2019
Summary
Children with chronic diseases experience significant fatigue, impacting their quality of life. This study highlights the commonality of fatigue across various pediatric conditions and the need for systematic assessment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Clinical Research
- Quality of Life Studies
Background:
- Fatigue in adults is often independent of somatic diagnosis.
- Growing up with a chronic disease can be distressing due to fatigue.
- Systematic assessment of fatigue in pediatric chronic diseases is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence and extent of fatigue in children with various chronic diseases.
- To investigate the impact of fatigue on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in pediatric patients.
- To compare fatigue levels across different pediatric chronic conditions.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study was conducted in two children's hospitals.
- 481 children and adolescents (ages 2-18) with cystic fibrosis, autoimmune diseases, or postcancer treatment were assessed.
- The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) multidimensional fatigue scale and generic core scales were used to measure fatigue and HRQoL.
Main Results:
- Children with chronic diseases reported significantly more fatigue than the general population (mean difference -6.6).
- The prevalence of severe fatigue was 21.2% among the pediatric chronic disease population.
- Fatigue was consistently associated with lower health-related quality of life across all domains.
Conclusions:
- Fatigue is a common and pervasive symptom in childhood chronic disease, affecting all age, sex, and disease groups.
- Fatigue significantly diminishes health-related quality of life in pediatric patients.
- There is a critical need for systematic fatigue assessment in children with chronic conditions, with future research focusing on treatment targets.
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