Susanna Jäghult (1), Katarina Pihl Lesnovska (2), Jan Marsal (3)

Affiliates

(1) Södersjukhuset, Stockholm(2) Linköpings Universitetssjukhus(3) Skåne Universitetssjukhus

Abstract

Background:
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) encompasses chronic conditions such as ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Fatigue is characterized as an overwhelming sense of tiredness, weakness, or exhaustion, which can be physical, psychological, or a combination of both. Fatigue is a common symptom and a significant concern for patients with IBD. International studies indicate that between 44% and 86% of patients with active disease, and 22% to 41% of those in remission, experience fatigue. This symptom can limit individual activities and negatively impact health-related quality of life. Despite its profound effects on patients, fatigue is often overlooked by healthcare professionals, who find it challenging to measure and manage.
The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of fatigue in Swedish IBD patients, both in active disease and in remission.
Methods:
The study was conducted using a disease-specific questionnaire, the IBD-Fatigue Scale, which has been translated and validated into Swedish. The IBD-Fatigue Scale was distributed to IBD patients in Stockholm and Linköping. Eligible participants had a confirmed diagnosis of IBD, was over 18 years old, and able to complete a questionnaire. Patients could be either in remission or experiencing active disease.
Patients who choose to participate in the study was subsequently asked to respond to questions regarding demographic data: gender, age, diagnosis, disease activity, medical treatment, and marital status. Questions concerning disease activity was assessed using the Walmsley index, for UC, and the Simplified Harvey-Bradshaw index for CD. Both the demographic data and the IBD-Fatigue Scale responses was collected electronically. The IBD Fatigue Scale consists of three sections. Section I assess frequency and severity of fatigue. Section II is rating experience and impact of fatigue, and section III is asking for patients` comments and issues related to fatigue. This study will show the results of section I.
Data management was pseudonymized, meaning that patients who consent to participate was assigned a code. A total of 2208 patients were asked to participate in the study.
Results:
A total of 760 (34%) patients accepted to participate in the study and of 674 of those answered the questionnaire. The demographic data is shown in table 1. The IBD-Fatigue Scale´s first section shows that fatigue is a burdensome symptom in IBD patients (figure 1). The scoring ranges between 0-20, where 0 means no fatigue and 20 means severe fatigue. The mean value showed 12,1 in the Swedish population. When comparing between sex, diagnosis and active vs remission, the patients who perceived most fatigue were woman and those with active disease (table 2).
Conclusion:
This study shows that IBD-patients in Sweden suffer from fatigue to similar extent as in international studies. Those with highest perceived fatigue are women and those with active disease.
To date, no studies have examined the prevalence of fatigue among Swedish patients with IBD or its impact on their lives, and there is a pressing need to explore the extent of fatigue among this population and to understand their experiences and the effects of fatigue on their daily lives. We now aim to extend the study to explore the impact on fatigue on daily activities.

Poster_P9_Susanna Jäghult