Fatigue in Saudi Patients with Primary Sjögren's Syndrome and Its Correlation with Disease Characteristics and Outcome Measures: A Cross-Sectional Study

Fahidah AlEnzi; Bashaer Alqahtani; Esam H Alhamad; Maha Daghestani; Yusra Tashkandy; Nashwa Othman; Khalid Alshahrani; Muthurajan P Paramasivam; Rabih Halwani; Mohammed A Omair

doi:10.2147/OARRR.S284985

Fatigue in Saudi Patients with Primary Sjögren's Syndrome and Its Correlation with Disease Characteristics and Outcome Measures: A Cross-Sectional Study

Open Access Rheumatol. 2020 Dec 2:12:303-308. doi: 10.2147/OARRR.S284985. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Science, College of Medicine, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
³ Pulmonary Division, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Statistics and Operations Research, College of Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Central Laboratory, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Rheumatology Division, Department of Medicine, Ad Diriyah Hospital, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Department of Clinical Sciences, Sharjah Institute for Medical Research (SIMR), College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
⁸ Rheumatology Division, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Background: Fatigue is a prevalent symptom affecting primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) patients. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of fatigue in Saudi pSS patients and its correlation with disease features and outcome measures using a validated tool.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study evaluating fatigue in pSS using the Arabic version of the fatigue severity scale (FSS). The EULAR Sjögren's syndrome disease activity index (ESSDAI) and EULAR Sjögren's syndrome patient reported index (ESSPRI) were calculated.

Results: Forty-one patients met the sample criteria and were involved in the final report. There were predominantly females (78%) with a mean (±SD) age and disease duration of 58.76±12.7 and 4.6±2.28 years, respectively. Based on the FSS, 18 (43.9%) patients had a positive test with a mean score of 5.43±0.76. The mean ESSDAI was 9.95±7.73, while the mean EESPRI was 5.17±2.4 with individual component scores were dryness (5.23±2.62), fatigue (5.4±2.88), and pain (4.88±3.31). The FSS had a significant correlation with PGA (r=0.559; p<0.001), PhGA (r=0.671; p<0.001), ESSDAI (r=0.402; p=0.01), ESSPRI fatigue component (r=0.0.621; p<0.001), ESSPRI pain component (r=0.558; p<0.001), and missed significance for the ESSPRI dryness component (r=0.289; p=0.071). There was no correlation between the total ESSPRI score and presence of fatigue (r=-0.261; p=0.104) nor the FSS score (r=-0.136; p=0.409).

Conclusion: Fatigue is prevalent in Saudi pSS patients. FSS correlated with ESSDAI and ESSPRI components but not its total score signaling other unmeasured factors contributing to fatigue development.

Keywords: ESSPRI; FSS-Ar; Sjögren’s syndrome; fatigue.

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, through the Research Funding Program (Grant No. FRP-1441-4). The funding body did not have any influence on the study design, conduct of study, data analysis nor manuscript preparation.