Patient-reported fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who commence biologic therapy: a longitudinal study

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To examine changes in patient-reported fatigue, over a twelve month period, in rheumatoid arthritis patients who commence biologic treatment, and to identify possible predictors for such changes. BACKGROUND: Fatigue is a burdensome symptom for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Despite biologics being effective in reducing disease activity, patients still report fatigue. DESIGN: A longitudinal observational study. METHODS: A total of 48 patients were enrolled in the study. Fatigue was measured by the Fatigue Severity Scale. Independent samples T-tests were used to test gender differences, and paired samples T-tests were used to measure differences between repeated measures. Bivariate and multiple regression analyses were used to examine potential predictors for changes in fatigue, such as age, sex, Disease Activity Score 28, pain and physical and emotional well-being. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients completed the study. From baseline to 12-month follow-up, fatigue decreased significantly in both women and men. Analyses of predictors were performed step-wise, and the final model included sex and physical well-being. The results from this final step showed that female sex was the only significant predictor for changes in fatigue. CONCLUSION: Patients commencing biologic therapy reported a significant reduction in fatigue. Female sex was a significant predictor of changes in fatigue. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Despite improvements in pharmacological treatment, patients with rheumatoid arthritis still report fatigue. This is a multifaceted health problem encompassing personal and emotional factors in addition to the clinical factors directly connected to the disease.