title: The course of fatigue after acute spinal cord injury.
abstract: METHODS
  Prospective cohort study.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence and course of fatigue following acute spinal cord injury (SCI) during rehabilitation and after discharge.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary spinal cord rehabilitation facility.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-two patients with traumatic SCI were assessed after admission to rehabilitation and followed until 6-months post discharge into the community. Fatigue was measured using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale for Spinal Cord Injury (MFIS-SCI) at admission, discharge and 6 months after discharge. Clinically significant fatigue was defined as FSS scores ⩾4 or MFIS-SCI scores ⩾24.5.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean (s.d.) age of our mainly male (78.8%) sample was 46.3 (17.8) years of age. Half had cervical and 61.6% had complete injuries. Mean (s.d.) FSS scores were 3.7 (1.6) at baseline, 3.4 (1.5) at discharge and 3.7 (1.7) post discharge. Mean (s.d.) MFIS-SCI scores were 24.4 (16.1) at baseline, 23.4 (16.3) at discharge and 27.8 (17.5) post discharge. Fatigue on the FSS was present in 51.9% at baseline, 38.3% at discharge and 48.1% post discharge. Fatigue on the MFIS-SCI was present in 44.2% at baseline, 44.7% at discharge and 51.9% post discharge. There was no relationship between fatigue and injury level or completeness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fatigue is common in SCI patients admitted to rehabilitation. Fatigue remained stable during rehabilitation and after discharge into the community. Clinicians should consider early screening for fatigue and interventions to reduce the consequences of fatigue in people with SCI.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The British Columbia Medical Services Foundation funded our study.
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation Research Program, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.|GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, Vancouver, BC, Canada.|Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.|International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Anton
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation Research Program, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.|GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, Vancouver, BC, Canada.|International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, Vancouver, BC, Canada.|GF Strong Rehabilitation Research Lab, Vancouver, BC, Canada.|Department of Occupational Sciences and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation Research Program, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.|GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, Vancouver, BC, Canada.|Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.|International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Townson
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation Research Program, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.|International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, Vancouver, BC, Canada.|GF Strong Rehabilitation Research Lab, Vancouver, BC, Canada.|Faculty of Medicine, Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Imam
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation Research Program, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.|GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, Vancouver, BC, Canada.|Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.|International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Silverberg
authors.affiliation: International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, Vancouver, BC, Canada.|Department of Occupational Sciences and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Forwell
mesh_terms: D018450:Disease Progression; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome