title: Prevalence and predictors of fatigue in haemo-oncological patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fatigue is a common symptom in patients with advanced malignancy, and has been associated with both physiological and psychological factors in patients with solid tumours.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study sought to explore the predictors of fatigue in a population with haematological malignancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive outpatients and inpatients attending a haematology centre completed the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale, and clinical, treatment and demographic information were noted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 180 patients, fatigue was present in 69%, and causing considerable distress in 26%. Univariate analysis revealed fatigue was associated with poor performance status, low haemoglobin, feeling sad, worried, irritable and nervous. Multivariate modeling revealed that those factors predictive of fatigue were poor performance status, having active disease, feeling sad and irritable, while haemoglobin level was not predictive of fatigue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fatigue is a multidimensional symptom in patients with haematological malignancy whose presence must prompt a holistic assessment of potential contributors that goes beyond correction of haemoglobin levels.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Palliative Care, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zordan
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Manitta
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nandurkar
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cole-Sinclair
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Philip
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013315:Stress, Psychological
keywords: cancer; fatigue; haemo-oncology