Self-regulatory fatigue linked to QoL in fibromyalgia syndrome

(HealthDay)—Patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) with higher self-regulatory fatigue (SRF) have lower quality of life (QoL), according to a study published online Sept. 2 in Pain Practice.

Lise Solberg Nes, Ph.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and colleagues examined whether SRF is related to QoL in patients with FMS. Two hundred fifty-eight patients diagnosed with FMS completed self-report measures relating to demographics, SRF, anxiety, depression, physical fatigue, symptoms related to FMS, and QoL.

The researchers found that higher SRF correlated with lower QoL in terms of lower overall physical QoL (subscales relating to physical functioning, role limitations-physical, bodily pain, and general health) and lower overall mental QoL (subscales related to vitality, social functioning, role limitations-emotional, and mental health) (all P > 0.001). The link between SRF and QoL was attenuated somewhat by including traditional predictors such as anxiety, depression, physical fatigue, and FMS-related symptoms; however, the correlations generally remained strong, especially for SRF and mental QoL.

"Results suggest that SRF is distinct from anxiety, depression, and fatigue, and predicts QoL above and beyond these traditional factors in the area of chronic multisymptom illnesses such as FMS," the authors write.