Assessment of the level of fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis, depending on the clinical form of the disease

Background. Multiple sclerosis is a demyelinating disease of inflammatory and central nervous system and it usually adopts one of the following clinical forms: relapsing-remitting (RR MS), secondary progressive (SPMS) or primary progressive (PPMS). Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of multiple sclerosis, which significantly affects the performance at

work and physical activity.

Objectives. The aim of this study was to assess the level of fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis, depending on the clinical form of the disease.

Material and methods. The study was conducted at the Pope John Paul II Center for Rehabilitation of People with Multiple Sclerosis in Borne Sulinowo. The study group consisted of 159 patients (111 women and 48 men). The mean age of the study group was 49 years ± 11. The clinical relapsing-remitting (RR MS) form was diagnosed in 51 people, the secondary progressive (SPMS) form in 45 people, the primary progressive (PPMS) form in 63 subjects. To assess the degree of pathological fatigue a modified scale of the impact of fatigue was used.

Results. The mean value of fatigue for the test group was 46.11 ± 11. The highest level of fatigue occurred in patients with secondary progressive clinical form (SPMS), and it was 48.49 ± 10.70 and the lowest in patients with relapsing clinical formremitting (RR MS ) and it was 41.64 ± 11.48. The average value of fatigue for the clinical forms of primary progressive (PPMS) was 48.02 ± 11.22. The authors showed statistically significant difference between the clinical form of multiple sclerosis and the level of fatigue (p < 0.05).

Conclusions. These results confirm that fatigue occurring in multiple sclerosis is dependent on the clinical form of the disease. Fatigue level does not correlate with the age at onset of MS or the duration of the disease.