title: Fatigue in Newly Diagnosed Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study investigated the prevalence and severity of fatigue in patients with newly diagnosed and untreated ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) and examined relevant disease variables that may influence the severity of fatigue.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-one patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (60 with UC and 21 with CD) were assessed for fatigue using two fatigue instruments: the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and a fatigue visual analogue scale (fVAS). Cut-off for fatigue was defined as ≥4 for FSS and ≥50 for fVAS. Results were compared with fatigue scores from age-and gender-matched healthy individuals. Disease activity was assessed by symptom scores using the Mayo score in UC patients and the Harvey-Bradshaw index for CD patients, as well as C-reactive protein (CRP) and faecal calprotectin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of fatigue based on FSS and fVAS was 47 and 42%, respectively, in UC and 62 and 48% in CD. In multivariate regression models, disease activity markers were not associated with fatigue, while a significant relationship was found with age and depression for both fatigue measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Close to 50% of patients with IBD reported fatigue at the time of diagnosis. In newly diagnosed patients with active disease, the severity of fatigue was not associated with measures of disease activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway tore.bjorn.grimstad@sus.no.
authors.forename: Tore
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Grimstad
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Katrine B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Norheim
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Kjetil
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Isaksen
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Kristian
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Leitao
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Anne K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Hetta
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Arne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carlsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Lars N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Karlsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Stavanger University, Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Inger Marie
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Skoie
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Lasse
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gøransson
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Erna
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Harboe
authors.affiliation: Oslo University Hospital - Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aabakken
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Roald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Omdal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D005221:Fatigue / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Fatigue; IBD