Tjerk Munsterman, Tim Takken, Harriet Wittink
Physical Therapy Center , Martini Hospital Groningen, The Netherlands
DOI: 10.2340/16501977-1073

Objective: To explore whether low aerobic capacity and physical activity are associated with fatigue, when controlling for age, gender, pain and depressive symptoms in persons with rheumatoid arthritis.
Methods: In 60 individuals fatigue (Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue scale; MAF), disease activity (Disease Activity Score-28; DAS 28), pain, physical and psychological status (Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales 2; AIMS 2), depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HADS), aerobic capacity and physical activity (Short Questionnaire to Assess Health-enhancing physical activity; SQUASH) were measured. Regression was performed to study the variance of fatigue explained by aerobic capacity and physical activity.
Results: Mean (standard deviation (SD)) age of participants was 51. 8 (SD 10. 4) years and 73. 3% were women. Duration of disease was 10. 2 (SD 0–41) years and mean disease activity score was 3. 4 (SD 1. 4).
Mean Global Fatigue Index was 20. 3 (SD 10. 5). Physical function was 1. 6 (SD 1. 1) and psychological status 3. 1 (SD 0–8) on the AIMS2. Pain score was 4. 1 (SD 2. 0) and median depression score was 3. 2 (range 0–15). Total amount of physical activity was 176. 9 (10. 6–1,492. 3) METhours/week and VO2max was 27. 8 (SD 3. 8) ml/kg/min. Backward multiple regression showed a statistically significant relationship with depressive symptoms only (t = 5. 4, p < 0. 001), which explained 33% of variance of fatigue in patients with RA.
Conclusion: Depression, but not aerobic capacity or physical activity, contributed to fatigue. However, no relationship was found between aerobic capacity and fatigue.