Objective. Fatigue and pain are important symptoms for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but their temporal association is unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the longitudinal relationship between fatigue and pain in patients with RA using time-lag models. Methods. Consecutive RA outpatients (n ؍ 228) were enrolled for this 1-year study. Fatigue was assessed monthly with the Checklist Individual Strength (CIS; range 8 -56) and pain was assessed monthly with the bodily pain subscale (inverted, range 0 -100) of the Short Form 36. The association between monthly changes in fatigue and pain was analyzed using longitudinal regression (mixed models), using the same months and with a 1-month time lag. Results. A total of 198 patients were included in the analyses. At baseline, the mean ؎ SD pain score was 35.23 ؎ 19.82 and the mean ؎ SD CIS fatigue score was 31.0 ؎ 12.4. Severe fatigue at baseline (CIS score >35) was present in 42% of the patients. The mean ؎ SD patient-averaged CIS fatigue score over 1 year was 30.9 ؎ 6.0 and the mean ؎ SD patient-averaged pain score over 1 year was 36.4 ؎ 18.3. The longitudinal regression analysis showed a significant positive relationship between fatigue and pain during the same month ( ؍ 2.04; 95% confidence interval 1.82, 2.27). The models using a time lag showed no significant association between changes in pain and changes in fatigue. Conclusion. In established RA, pain and fatigue show monthly fluctuations that are synchronous rather than showing a temporal relationship with a time lag; within this timeframe, the results do not indicate that one precedes the other.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.