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The prevalence of fatigue continues to be high among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) despite significant progress over the years in therapies that change the course of the disease, a large survey study in Norway found.
The findings also show that the frequency of fatigue is higher in women and associated with anxiety, depression, and daytime sleepiness.
The study, “High prevalence of fatigue in contemporary patients with multiple sclerosis,” was published in Multiple Sclerosis Journal – Experimental, Translational and Clinical.
Although there is no universally accepted definition, fatigue is commonly described as a loss of physical and/or mental energy. In people with MS, fatigue is a major factor that affects quality of life. Yet, there still are no effective treatments that specifically target this symptom.
Previous reports suggested that fatigue in MS has a prevalence of 50–90%. However, large population-based studies have not been carried out in the past 20 years to confirm these numbers. The researchers also suggested that, with recent changes in diagnostic criteria and the emergence of new disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), the prevalence of fatigue actually could be lower.
“Our hypothesis was that the prevalence of fatigue in patients with MS is lower than previously reported due to changes in diagnostic criteria, possibly resulting in the detection of more benign cases, and the introduction of more efficient disease modifying drugs,” the researchers wrote.
To test their hypothesis, the team analyzed data from patients with MS in three Norwegian counties — Buskerud, Oslo, and Telemark (collectively, BOT). The BOT registry has information on 3,965 patients diagnosed with MS at the Vestre Viken Hospital Trust, Telemark Hospital Trust, and Oslo University Hospital.
“All the patients in the registry who were alive and residing within the three counties as of 2017, were invited to participate in the study,” the researchers wrote.
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