%0 Journal Article
%T Poststroke Fatigue Is Still a Neglected Issue: Findings from an Internet-Based Study on the Need for Information and Treatment in The Netherlands
%A Aglaia M. E. E. Zedlitz
%A Michelle van Eijk
%A Roy P. C. Kessels
%A Alexander C. H. Geurts
%A Luciano Fasotti
%J ISRN Stroke
%D 2012
%R 10.5402/2012/629589
%X Objective. To evaluate the need for information and treatment of poststroke fatigue (PSF) in community-dwelling patients with stroke in The Netherlands. Methods. Data were obtained from a Dutch internet-based questionnaire. The amount of information received about PSF, self-management and other treatment options, and the perceived need for treatment were scored. PSF was assessed with two Visual Numerical Scales of fatigue severity (VNSF), the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS7), and by scoring the nature (physical versus mental) and onset time of PSF. Results. Data were available of 538 stroke survivors (mean age 52 years, 45% men, and mean time since onset 2.7 years). Severe fatigue (both VNSF items ≡7; 48%) and severe fatigue impact (FSS7ˋ>ˋ5; 68%) were frequent. Most participants (57%) experienced both physical and mental fatigue. Only 17% of the respondents indicated to have had received sufficient information about PSF and 7% about treatment options, whereas 56% expressed a substantial need for treatment. The need for treatment was moderately associated with fatigue severity and fatigue impact, whereas information status was not related to any demographical, fatigue, or stroke characteristic. Conclusions. PSF is a significant symptom after stroke requiring medical attention and treatment. The results of this survey indicate that patients do not receive adequate information on PSF. 1. Introduction Persisting fatigue is a common and debilitating consequence of stroke even in patients with good recovery [1每4]. Prevalence rates of poststroke fatigue (PSF) are substantial, varying between 38 and 73% [4]. These rates seem to be stable over time, with no marked decline after the postacute stage to even years following the injury [5每9]. As no unequivocal associations with clinical or demographical variables, such as stroke type, age, sex, or education, have been found, all patients who have experienced a stroke may be at risk to develop this symptom [4]. Furthermore, PSF has been found to have a negative effect on quality of life [2, 10], rehabilitation outcomes [11], and even mortality [12每14]. However, PSF is often misdiagnosed [11, 15, 16] and evidence-based clinical guidelines for dealing with PSF are scarce [17, 18]. The pathogenesis of PSF is still poorly understood [4, 12, 19, 20] but believed to be multifactorial [4, 5, 12, 14, 20每22]. Although direct associations with biological markers have been demonstrated only in a few studies [20], the brain damage itself is suggested to be a primary cause for the experienced fatigue [23每25]. Furthermore,
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn.stroke/2012/629589/