Table 2.
Comparison of demographics and patient-reported outcomes among patients with and without fatigue in Crohn’s disease
| No fatigue (N = 908) | Fatigue (N = 320) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD) | 38.6 (13.4) | 38.4 (14.1) | 0.8151 |
| Sex, n (%) | 0.0193* | ||
| Male | 470 (51.8) | 141 (44.1) | |
| Female | 438 (48.2) | 179 (55.9) | |
| BMI, mean (SD) | 24.1 (3.8) | 24.2 (4.4) | 0.7148 |
| Smoking status, n (%) | 0.1931 | ||
| Current smoker | 130 (15.2) | 59 (19.7) | |
| Ex-smoker | 236 (27.5) | 78 (26.0) | |
| Never smoked | 491 (57.3) | 163 (54.3) | |
| Employment status, n (%) | 0.0069* | ||
| Working full time | 499 (56.5) | 153 (48.9) | |
| Working part time | 101 (11.4) | 46 (14.7) | |
| On long-term sick leave | 18 (2.0) | 19 (6.1) | |
| Homemaker | 61 (6.9) | 18 (5.8) | |
| Student | 106 (12.0) | 41 (13.1) | |
| Retired | 55 (6.2) | 18 (5.8) | |
| Unemployed | 43 (4.9) | 18 (5.8) | |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index, mean (SD) | 0.1 (0.4) | 0.1 (0.5) | 0.3876 |
| Disease severity, n (%) | < 0.0001* | ||
| Mild | 546 (60.1) | 138 (43.1) | |
| Moderate | 326 (35.9) | 153 (47.8) | |
| Severe | 36 (4.0) | 29 (9.1) | |
| Remission status, n (%) | 0.0493 | ||
| Not in remission | 348 (38.3) | 147 (45.9) | |
| In remission | 472 (52.0) | 149 (46.6) | |
| In clinical remission (complete mucosal healing and CDAI score < 150) | 88 (9.7) | 24 (7.5) | |
| CDAI | |||
| n | 707 | 257 | |
| Mean (SD) | 96.2 (74.2) | 145.0 (79.8) | < 0.0001* |
| Current symptoms, n (%) | |||
| Rectal urgency | 128 (14.1) | 74 (23.1) | 0.0003* |
| Abdominal pain | 256 (28.2) | 180 (56.3) | < 0.0001* |
| Vomiting/nausea | 64 (7.0) | 45 (14.1) | 0.0003* |
| Passing of mucus | 81 (8.9) | 44 (13.8) | 0.0177* |
| Constipation | 53 (5.8) | 35 (10.9) | 0.0035* |
| Diarrhea—non-bloody | 279 (30.7) | 179 (55.9) | < 0.0001* |
| Diarrhea—bloody | 98 (10.8) | 34 (10.6) | 1.0000 |
| Needing the toilet shortly after eating | 90 (9.9) | 76 (23.8) | < 0.0001* |
| Rectal bleeding | 52 (5.7) | 36 (11.3) | 0.0015* |
| Abdominal cramps | 232 (25.6) | 164 (51.2) | < 0.0001* |
| Bloating in the stomach | 128 (14.1) | 93 (29.1) | < 0.0001* |
| Night sweats | 39 (4.3) | 37 (11.6) | < 0.0001* |
| Weight loss | 61 (6.7) | 79 (24.7) | < 0.0001* |
| Anorexia/malnutrition | 18 (2.0) | 24 (7.5) | < 0.0001* |
| Loss of appetite | 63 (6.9) | 78 (24.4) | < 0.0001* |
| Flatulence | 97 (10.7) | 76 (23.8) | < 0.0001* |
| Anemia | 37 (4.1) | 35 (10.9) | < 0.0001* |
| Back pain | 32 (3.5) | 58 (18.1) | < 0.0001* |
| Arthralgia/joint pain | 39 (4.3) | 79 (24.7) | < 0.0001* |
| Joint swelling | 18 (2.0) | 23 (7.2) | < 0.0001* |
| Mouth sores | 5 (0.6) | 17 (5.3) | < 0.0001* |
| Level of paina, mean (SD) | 2.9 (2.4) | 4.1 (2.3) | < 0.0001* |
| Level of sleep disturbanceb, mean (SD) | 2.2 (2.2) | 3.6 (2.5) | < 0.0001* |
| SIBDQ | |||
| n | 764 | 261 | |
| Mean (SD) | 54 (11) | 45 (11) | < 0.0001* |
| WPAI, mean % (SD) | |||
| n | 391 | 151 | |
| Overall work impairment | 23.6 (24.8) | 31.3 (25.9) | 0.0015* |
| n | 404 | 153 | |
| Work time missed because of problem | 5.7 (17.2) | 8.8 (25.1) | 0.0957 |
| n | 466 | 164 | |
| Impairment while working due to problem | 20.5 (21.4) | 29.9 (24.6) | < 0.0001* |
| n | 761 | 267 | |
| Activity impairment due to problem | 22.5 (22.0) | 36.7 (24.8) | < 0.0001* |
| Current medication, n (%) | |||
| 5-Aminosalicylic acid | 600 (66.1) | 211 (65.9) | 1.0000 |
| Corticosteroid | 635 (69.9) | 255 (79.7) | 0.0008* |
| Immunomodulator | 480 (52.9) | 184 (57.5) | 0.1707 |
| Biologic | 380 (41.9) | 190 (59.4) | < 0.0001* |
CDAI Crohn’s Disease Activity Index, SD standard deviation, SIBDQ Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire, WPAI Work Productivity and Activity Impairment
*Statistical significance of α = 0.05
aLevel of pain was measured on a scale from 0 = no pain to 10 = severe pain
bLevel of sleep disturbance was measured on a scale from 0 = no sleep disturbance to 10 = severe sleep disturbance