Associations Between Fatigue and Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome and the Mediating Role of Inflammation

Fatigue is common in many chronic diseases. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between fatigue and cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome (CKM) in Chinese asymptomatic individuals undergoing routine health screenings and to explore the mediating role of inflammation.

The data of 4349 individuals were included in this cross-sectional study. Fatigue was measured with the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). The association between fatigue and the severity of CKM syndrome was evaluated via logistic regression analysis. The mediating role of inflammation in fatigue and advanced CKM syndrome was explored using mediation analysis.

A total of 4349 participants were included in this study, and 2120 (48.7%) experienced fatigue. Fatigue was associated with a greater risk of developing advanced CKM syndrome (OR 2.597, 95% CI 1.323-5.097, p <0.05). However, there was no significant correlation with the risk of developing early CKM syndrome. Further analyses stratified by age revealed that the association between fatigue and advanced CKM syndrome was more pronounced in those aged <60 years (OR 3.008, 95% CI 1.263-7.163, p <0.05). The white blood cell count and neutrophil count had a mediating effect in the association between fatigue and advanced CKM syndrome, with mediation rates of 7.2% and 6.3%, respectively.

Fatigue is significantly associated with the increased risk of advanced CKM syndrome, especially in young and middle-aged adults. The cause of this association may be that white blood cell count and neutrophil count play a partial role in this relationship.