Skip to main content

Fatigue With Rheumatoid Arthritis Tied to Disease Activity, Education Level

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on June 26, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, June 26, 2024 -- The Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Fatigue Multi-Dimensional Questionnaire (BRAF-MDQ) and Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI-C) scores show consistency in assessing fatigue with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a study published online June 14 in Immunity, Inflammation and Disease.

Jun Zhou, from the Affiliated Suqian First People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University in China, and colleagues assessed fatigue with RA by two scales and validated their consistency. Analysis included 160 patients with RA and 60 healthy controls.

The researchers found that the BRAF-MDQ and BFI-C scores were significantly elevated in RA patients versus healthy controls. There was a positive and significant correlation between BRAF-MDQ global fatigue score and BFI-C global fatigue score in both RA patients (r = 0.669) and healthy controls (r = 0.527). There was a high consistency between BRAF-MDQ and BFI-C global fatigue scores in RA patients (W = 0.759) and healthy controls (W = 0.933) using the Kendall's tau-b test. Higher education level (В = −4.547) and swollen joint count (В = 1.965) independently were associated with BRAF-MDQ global fatigue score. Higher education level (В = −0.613) and clinical disease activity index (В = 0.053) independently linked with BFI-C global fatigue score.

"Exploring the risk factors of fatigue for early management is of great significance for the treatment of RA patients," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

RA Patients With Mono-, Oligo-Arthritis, High PGA Remain Most Fatigued

FRIDAY, June 28, 2024 -- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with mono- or oligo-arthritis and high Patient Global Assessment (PGA) at diagnosis remain the most fatigued, according...

hs-cTnT Linked to MACE, Mortality in Rheumatoid Arthritis

THURSDAY, June 27, 2024 -- For patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a detectable level of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) is associated with increased risk of...

Smoking + RA With Obstructive Pattern Shows Less Spirometry Decline

TUESDAY, June 25, 2024 -- Patients who have smoked with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and an obstructive pattern may be a unique phenotype, according to a study published online June...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.