Prevalence of Fatigue, Pain, and Affective Disorders in Adults With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Their Associations With Quality of Life

• DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2015.02.012
• Publication Date: 2015-02-27T18:28:22Z
• Authors: Robert F. Pangalila; Geertrudis A. van...; Bart Bartels; Michael Bergen; Henk J. Stam; Marij E. Roebroeck
• Keywords: Depression; Cross-sectional study

To assess the prevalence of fatigue, pain, anxiety, and depression in adults with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and to analyze their relationship with health-related quality of life.Cross-sectional study.Home of participants.Adults (N=80) with DMD.Not applicable.Fatigue was assessed with the Fatigue Severity Scale; pain with 1 item of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey and by interview; and anxiety and depression by using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale-Brief Version. Associations between these conditions and quality of life were assessed by means of univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.Symptoms of fatigue (40.5%), pain (73.4%), anxiety (24%), and depression (19%) were frequently found. Individuals often had multiple conditions. Fatigue was related to overall quality of life and to the quality-of-life domains of physical health and environment; anxiety was related to the psychological domain.Fatigue, pain, anxiety, and depression, potentially treatable symptoms, occur frequently in adults with DMD and significantly influence health-related quality of life.