Obesity and Poststroke Fatigue: A 2-Year Longitudinal Study

Obesity is associated with fatigue in many diseases, but the correlation between obesity and poststroke fatigue (PSF) is unclear. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the occurrence of and recovery from PSF.

Within 3 days of the onset of ischemic stroke, patients were consecutively recruited. We assessed PSF at admission and at 6, 12, and 24 months with the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Multivariable logistic regression and restricted cubic spline function were used to explore the relationships between baseline BMI and the risk of PSF at different time points. The correlation between baseline BMI and the dynamic changes in the natural logarithm transformation of the FSS (lnFSS) score during the follow-up period was analyzed by the piecewise linear mixed-effects model.

A total of 1026 stroke patients were included. Multivariable analyses indicated that obesity was associated with a decreased risk of early PSF (fatigue diagnosed at baseline) [odds ratio (OR) 0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.41-0.93] but an increased risk of late PSF (fatigue diagnosed 6 months after the index stroke) (OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.06-2.50 for 6 months; OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.18-2.96 for 12 months; OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.28-3.49 for 24 months). Longitudinal analyses indicated that in the late stage of fatigue, the higher the BMI category, the slower the rate of decrease was for the FSS score.

Obese patients are less likely to develop fatigue in the acute stage of ischemic stroke. However, they are more prone to late fatigue and exhibit a slower decline in the FSS score in the long term.