Article

People with postpolio syndrome (PPS) commonly experience severe
fatigue that persists over time and negatively affects functioning and
health-related quality of life (HRQoL). OBJECTIVES: To study the efficacy of
exercise therapy (ET) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on reducing fatigue
and improving activities and HRQoL in patients with PPS. METHODS: We conducted a
multicenter, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial.
Over 4 months, severely
fatigued patients with PPS received ET, CBT, or usual care (UC). The primary end
point (fatigue) was assessed using the subscale fatigue severity of the Checklist
Individual Strength (CIS20-F). Secondary end points included activities and
HRQoL, which were assessed with the Sickness Impact Profile and the 36-Item
Short-Form, respectively. End points were measured at baseline and at 4, 7, and
10 months. RESULTS: A total of 68 patients were randomized.
No differences were
observed between the intervention groups and UC group for fatigue (mean
differences in CIS20-F score = 1.47, 95%CI = -2.84 to 5.79, for ET versus UC; and
1.87, 95%CI = -2.24 to 5.98, for CBT versus UC), activities, or HRQoL.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that neither ET nor CBT were superior to UC
in reducing fatigue in severely fatigued PPS patients. Further research should
investigate explanations for the lack of efficacy of these 2 currently advised
approaches in clinical practice, which may provide clues to improving treatment
aimed at reducing fatigue in PPS.
CI - (c) The Author(s) 2015.

Langue : ANGLAIS