Fatigue level in spinal cord injury AIS D community ambulatory subjects

Study design: Cross-sectional study. Objectives: 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. © 2012 International Spinal Cord Society All rights reserved.