Article

The objective of our study was
to determine the level of fatigue in ASIA impairment scale (AIS) D spinal cord
injury (SCI) in community ambulatory subjects and correlate fatigue with other
clinical symptoms. SETTING: Outpatient Rehabilitation Unit, FLENI Institute,
Escobar. Buenos Aires, Argentina. METHODS: We included twenty-six patients with
AIS D SCI that attended therapies at FLENI Institute between 2002 and 2009. We
measured the demographic and clinical characteristics of the subjects. All
patients were administered the fatigue severity scale (FSS). A cut-score for over
four was indicative of significant fatigue. We used the Spearman's coefficient
correlation to analyze associations among the FSS with pain (Visual analog
scale), depression (Beck depression inventory), and physical activity (hours per
week). RESULTS: The median score of the FSS scale was 2.82 (1-5). Fatigue was
found in 5 individuals (19.2%). There was a significant correlation between FSS
scale and the Beck questionnaire. No association was found between FSS and pain
or physical activity. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that fatigue
is a relevant problem for people with SCI AIS D, and is a disabling symptom when
present. There is a significant relationship between fatigue and
depression.Sponsorship:FLENI Rehabilitation Institute.

Langue : ANGLAIS