title: Age- and sex-standardised prevalence rates of fatigue in a large hospital-based sample of cancer patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this longitudinal study was to determine age- and sex-standardised prevalence rates of cancer-related fatigue in different groups of patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective study in a cohort of N=1494 cancer patients investigating fatigue at three time points t1-t3 (t1: admission to hospital, t2: discharge, t3: half a year after t1). Fatigue was measured with the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory. Age- and sex-adjusted norms were derived from a representative community sample of N=2037, using a cutoff at the 75th percentile.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At admission to the hospital, 32% of the patients were classified as fatigued. At discharge, the overall prevalence rate was 40%, and at half a year after t1, prevalence was 34%. Fatigue prevalence rates differed according to tumour stage, site, age, and sex of the patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence rates provided by this study can be used for the planning of research and clinical routine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Psychology and Applied Diagnostics, University of Wuppertal, Wuppertal, Germany. susanne.singer@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuhnt
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zwerenz
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eckert
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hofmeister
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dietz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Giesinger
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hauss
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Papsdorf
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Briest
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005221:Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors