Fatigue and health-related quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a debilitating, chronic neurological disease with diverse symptoms. Fatigue is a major aspect of this, impacting negatively on physical functioning, productivity, general well-being and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

To expose the relationship between fatigue and HRQoL in this clinical population in Saudi Arabia, supporting the development of comprehensive nursing management regimes.

Patients were recruited from out-patient clinics in three Saudi Arabian cities (130 women, 71 men) for a correlational, cross-sectional study. SF-36 Health Survey and Fatigue Severity Scale were used, together with demographic variables. Descriptive analysis, correlation and t-test were applied within IBM Statistics v22.

Mean total Fatigue Severity Scale score was 5.59 (SD 1.18). Mean total Quality of Life score was 43.69 (SD 25.97). Fatigue was the major manifestation of the disease impacting negatively on patients' quality of life.

The findings not only linked fatigue to lower quality of life but also addressed the specific national demographic: an unusual pattern of significantly increasing prevalence, especially among females and young, well-educated populations. Screening this population routinely for fatigue is vital to optimise assessment, care and review of the effectiveness of nursing interventions, ultimately promoting productivity and enhancing HRQoL.