Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of patients presenting with fatigue in general practice.
| Demographics | Total population, n = 642 | Fast recovery,an = 132 of 561 | (Near) chronicity,bn = 231 of 535 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex, female, n (%) | 467 (73) | 84 (64) | 178 (77) |
| Age in years, mean (SD) | 42 (16) | 43 (15) | 45 (17) |
| Education, n (%) | |||
| Primary | 40 (6) | 6 (5) | 19 (8) |
| Secondary | 483 (75) | 102 (77) | 173 (75) |
| Tertiary | 118 (18) | 24 (18) | 38 (17) |
| Care responsibilities, n (%) | |||
| Care for children | 241 (38) | 56 (43) | 83 (36) |
| Care for children <5 years old | 103 (16) | 23 (17) | 31 (14) |
| Care for other people, e.g. older people | 63 (10) | 4 (3) | 27 (12) |
| Employed, n (%) | 492 (77) | 107 (81) | 160 (69) |
| Hours of work (paid + unpaid) per week, mean (SD) | 41 (26) | 44 (19) | 40 (29) |
| <30 hours, n (%) | 182 (28) | 23 (17) | 77 (34) |
| 30–50, n (%) | 277 (43) | 66 (50) | 97 (42) |
| ≥50, n (%) | 183 (29) | 43 (33) | 56 (24) |
| Living together/married, n (%) | 411 (64) | 85 (64) | 144 (63) |
| Fatigue | |||
| Severity, CIS, mean (SD) | 45.8 (8.4) | 41.4 (9.5) | 48.9 (6.5) |
| Less concentration, CIS, mean (SD) | 21.3 (8.7) | 16.1 (6.0) | 22.5 (8.7) |
| Less motivation, CIS, mean (SD) | 16.9 (6.2) | 18.7 (8.3) | 17.6 (6.3) |
| Duration, n (%) | |||
| <1 month | 44 (7) | 15 (12) | 15 (7) |
| 1–3 months | 98 (16) | 32 (25) | 20 (9) |
| 3–6 months | 115 (19) | 28 (22) | 40 (18) |
| 6–12 months | 114 (18) | 21 (16) | 39 (17) |
| ≥1 year | 252 (40) | 34 (26) | 112 (50) |
| Onset of fatigue episode, n (%) | |||
| Sudden | 111 (17) | 28 (21) | 37 (16) |
| Gradual | 527 (82) | 104 (78) | 191 (84) |
| Previous episodes, n (%) | |||
| Yes | 417 (65) | 66 (50) | 163 (71) |
| Yes, with duration <6 months | 246 (38) | 46 (35) | 76 (33) |
| Yes, with duration ≥6 months | 171 (27) | 20 (15) | 87 (38) |
| Localisation, n (%) | |||
| Primarily extremities | 56 (9) | 19 (14) | 19 (8) |
| Primarily head | 111 (17) | 29 (22) | 29 (13) |
| Whole body, or head and extremities | 407 (64) | 70 (53) | 162 (70) |
| Not clear | 66 (10) | 14 (11) | 21 (9) |
| Perceptions, IPQ-R, mean (SD) | |||
| Personal control, range 6–30 | 18.6 (3.7) | 19.2 (3.7) | 17.9 (3.8) |
| Understanding of the fatigue, range 5–25 | 13.7 (4.2) | 14.1 (4.2) | 13.2 (4.1) |
| Expectation of a chronic course, range 6–30 | 17.4 (4.5) | 15.2 (3.6) | 19.4 (4.6) |
| Impact of fatigue, range 6–29 | 16.4 (4.3) | 14.4 (3.9) | 18.0 (4.3) |
| Treatment (self-report), n (%) | |||
| Treatment for fatigue | 52 (8) | 8 (6) | 28 (12) |
| Treatment for other reasons | 181 (28) | 38 (29) | 76 (33) |
| Medication | 146 (23) | 32 (24) | 57 (25) |
| Psychologist or social work | 44 (7) | 8 (6) | 22 (10) |
| Physiotherapy or manual therapy | 63 (10) | 9 (7) | 32 (14) |
| Alternative/complementary treatment | 40 (6) | 11 (8) | 13 (6) |
| Daily activity and lifestyle | |||
| Physical activity: SQUASH; number of days of moderate intensity physical activity for at least 30 minutes | |||
| Mean (SD) | 2.8 (2.4) | 3.1 (2.2) | 2.8 (2.5) |
| 0 days, n (%) | 147 (23) | 22 (17) | 54 (23) |
| 1–4 days, n (%) | 319 (50) | 70 (53) | 113 (49) |
| ≥5 days, n (%) | 175 (27) | 39 (30) | 64 (28) |
| Alcohol, units per week, n (%) | |||
| <1 | 334 (52) | 59 (45) | 131 (57) |
| 1–10 | 253 (40) | 64 (49) | 80 (35) |
| >10 | 54 (9) | 9 (7) | 20 (10) |
| Smoking, n (%) | |||
| No, never smoked | 253 (40) | 56 (42) | 89 (39) |
| Not currently, or sometimes | 242 (38) | 52 (39) | 85 (37) |
| Yes, daily | 145 (23) | 24 (18) | 56 (24) |
a
Fast recovery (favourable outcome): score <34 on the severity scale of the CIS at 4, 8, and 12 months after baseline.
b
(Near) chronicity (unfavourable outcome): score ≥34 on the CIS severity scale, at three or all of the four follow-up measurements. CIS = Checklist Individual Strength. IPQ-R = Illness Perception Questionnaire – Revised. SQUASH = Short Questionnaire to ASsess Health-enhancing physical activity.