Sarcopenia, severe anxiety and increased C-reactive protein are associated with severe fatigue in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases

Laura Tasson; Fabiana Zingone; Brigida Barberio; Romina Valentini; Pamela Ballotta; Alexander C Ford; Marco Scarpa; Imerio Angriman; Matteo Fassan; Edoardo Savarino

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-94685-5

Sarcopenia, severe anxiety and increased C-reactive protein are associated with severe fatigue in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases

Sci Rep. 2021 Jul 27;11(1):15251. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-94685-5.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Clinical Nutrition Unit, Department of Medicine-DIMED, University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
² Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, DISCOG, University of Padua, Via Giustiniani 2, 35121, Padova, Italy.
³ Leeds Gastroenterology Institute, St. James's University Hospital, Leeds, UK.
⁴ Leeds Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
⁵ Clinica Chirurgica 1, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
⁶ Department of Medicine (DIMED), Surgical Pathology & Cytopathology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
⁷ Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, DISCOG, University of Padua, Via Giustiniani 2, 35121, Padova, Italy. edoardo.savarino@unipd.it.

Abstract

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) report fatigue more frequently than healthy population, but the precise mechanisms underlying its presence are unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of fatigue in IBD and its relation with potential causative factors. A survey on fatigue, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and the presence of sarcopenia and malnutrition, was sent by email to 244 IBD outpatients of the Gastroenterology Unit of Academic Hospital of Padua. Demographics and clinical data, including the levels of fecal calprotectin (FC) and C-reactive protein (CRP), and current pharmacological treatments were obtained from patients' medical records. Ninety-nine (40.5%) subjects answered the survey. Ninety-two (92.9%) patients reported fatigue, with sixty-six having mild to moderate fatigue and twenty-six severe fatigue. Multivariate analysis showed that abnormal values of CRP (OR 5.1), severe anxiety (OR 3.7) and sarcopenia (OR 4.4) were the factors independently associated with severe fatigue. Fatigue has a high prevalence in subject affected by IBD. Subjects with altered CRP, sarcopenia and severe anxiety appear more at risk of severe fatigue.

MeSH terms

Adult
Anxiety / complications*
C-Reactive Protein / metabolism*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Fatigue / complications*
Female
Humans
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / complications*
Male
Middle Aged
Sarcopenia / complications*

Substances

C-Reactive Protein