Article

Fatigue is frequent and disabling in persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) with
mild neurological disability. These patients also have impaired physical fitness.
Whether mildly disabled pwMS are deconditioned, and this deconditioning is linked
to fatigue, remains unknown.
Our aim is to determine the physical fitness of
mildly disabled patients with multiple sclerosis and study its relationship with
perceived fatigue and to link perceived fatigue with other parameters. Twenty
patients (14 women; mean age: 45.5 years) with mild disability (Expanded
Disability Status Scale 0-4) underwent a 2-min walking test, Timed Up-and-Go
test, aerobic capacity testing, and isometric knee extension testing to assess
strength and neuromuscular fatigability. They completed questionnaires assessing
perceived fatigue, psychological status, and physical activity. Correlation
coefficients and multivariate regression were used to analyze the relationships
among variables. Seventeen (85%) patients reported a high level of fatigue.
Thirteen (65%) patients had subnormal aerobic capacity. Fatigue was weakly to
moderately associated with aerobic capacity, mobility, walking capacity,
depression, and neuromuscular fatigability. An association of disease duration,
aerobic capacity, and the neuromuscular fatigability index explained 65.1% of
fatigue. A high proportion of pwMS with mild neurological disability are fatigued
and deconditioned. Perceived fatigue is linked to aerobic capacity, neuromuscular
fatigability, depression, mobility, and walking capacity. Focusing on these
parameters could help in the management of fatigue.

Langue : ANGLAIS