title: Fatigue in coccidioidomycosis. Quantification and correlation with clinical, immunological, and nutritional factors.
abstract: While described in the past, the frequency and degree of fatigue associated with symptomatic coccidioidomycosis has never been quantified. Using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), severe fatigue (FSS score = 41) was found in 65% of cases of active coccidioidomycosis compared to 42% in cohort of control subjects with chronic medical diseases (P=0.024). Fatigue in patients with symptomatic coccidioidomycosis declined significantly over four months (P=0.023). Severe fatigue in patients with symptomatic coccidioidomycosis was significantly associated with low body mass index (BMI; P=0.024) but was not significantly associated with either serum leptin (r2=0.078, P=0.261) or serum TNF-alpha (r2=0.028, P=0.504) concentrations. Severe fatigue is a common condition among patients with active coccidioidomycosis and is associated with a declining BMI.
authors.affiliation: Valley Fever Center for Excellence and the Department of Medicine of the University of Arizona, and the Southern Arizona Veterans Affairs Health Center System, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Muir Bowers
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Mourani
authors.forename: Neil M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Ampel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003047:Coccidioidomycosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005221:Fatigue / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha