Physical activity and fatigue in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Vlijmen, T. van (Tim) (2015) Physical activity and fatigue in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. thesis, Medicine.

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Abstract

Objective: The pathophysiology of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is still largely unknown. It is thought that physical (in)activity plays a role in the persistence of fatigue, and is important in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), an effective treatment method of CFS. However, it is unclear which aspects of physical activity are associated with fatigue. The aim of this study was to define specific measures of physical activity, and to examine the association between these activity measures and (the improvement of) fatigue levels. Method: This study was performed using data from patients with CFS (n = 88) of the Expert Centre Chronic Fatigue Syndrome of the Radboud University Nijmegen. Physical activity was measured, pre- and post-CBT, using an actometer. Several activity measures were computed using the actometer data. Fatigue levels were assessed, pre- and post-CBT, using the subscale 'subjective experience of fatigue' of the Checklist Individual Strength. The associations between the activity measures and (the improvement of) fatigue were examined using linear mixed models and regression analyses. Results: After CBT, the physical activity pattern of the participants changed. This change was seen on several activity measures. The mean activity level, the activity level in the afternoon, the variance in activity levels between different hours of the day and the total peak content were associated with fatigue levels. Also, an increase in these activity measures predicted an improvement of fatigue levels. The time spent in very low-intensity activities was also associated with fatigue levels. However, an increase in this activity measure predicted a deterioration of fatigue levels. Conclusion: Higher absolute activity levels and bigger variance in activity levels are associated with lower fatigue levels in patients with CFS. Also, increases in these measures are associated with the improvement of fatigue levels.

Item Type:	Thesis (Thesis)
Supervisor name:	Rosmalen, Prof. J.G.M. and Janssens, Dr. K.A.M. and Bonvanie, Drs. I. J.
Faculty:	Medical Sciences
Date Deposited:	25 Jun 2020 10:51
Last Modified:	25 Jun 2020 10:51
URI:	https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/1182

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