07 July 2026 : Clinical Research
Presence and Impact of Fatigue in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis
Meheroz H. Rabadi
ADEF 1,2*, Kimberly A. Russell B 1, Chao Xu CD 3
DOI: 10.12659/MSM.953344
Med Sci Monit 2026; 32:e953344
Table 2 Primary outcomes in multiple sclerosis patients with fatigue by medication status (mean ± SD or median [Q1, Q3]).
| Total (n = 134) | No (n = 77) | Yes (n = 57) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial FSS | 46.0 [35.5, 56.5] | 46.5 [38.5, 58.0] | 46.0 [34.5, 56.0] | 0.377** |
| 12-month FSS | 45.0 [32.0, 52.0] | 45.0 [33.0, 51.0] | 45.5 [31.5, 52.5] | 0.741** |
| Change FSS | −1.65 (±15.8) | −2.38 (± 13.2) | −1.00 (± 17.9) | 0.729 |
| Initial MFIS | 47.4 (±16.9) | 46.5 (± 16.9) | 48.6 (± 17.0) | 0.494 |
| Initial MFIS, cognitive | 20.0 (±8.93) | 18.8 (± 9.02) | 21.5 (± 8.68) | 0.142 |
| Initial MFIS, physical | 23.5 [16.0, 29.0] | 22.5 [15.0, 29.0] | 24.5 [16.8, 29.0] | 0.666** |
| Initial MFIS, psychosocial | 4.00 [3.00, 6.00] | 4.00 [3.00, 6.00] | 5.00 [3.00, 6.00] | 0.877** |
| 12-month MFIS | 48.6 (± 17.1) | 46.3 (± 16.5) | 50.6 (± 17.7) | 0.284 |
| 12-month MFIS, cognitive | 20.8 (± 9.36) | 18.5 (± 8.71) | 22.7 (± 9.59) | 0.074 |
| 12-month MFIS, physical | 22.8 (± 8.05) | 22.6 (± 8.46) | 23.0 (± 7.81) | 0.844 |
| 12-month MFIS, psychosocial | 5.00 [2.00, 6.00] | 4.00 [2.00, 6.00] | 5.00 [3.00, 6.75] | 0.324** |
| Change MFIS | 0 [−7.00, 9.00] | 1.00 [−11.0, 10.0] | −2.00 [−6.50, 7.50] | > 0.999** |
| Change the MFIS, cognitive | −0.519 (± 7.62) | −0.423 (± 8.10) | −0.615 (± 7.28) | 0.929 |
| Change MFIS, physical | −0.811 (± 8.46) | −1.46 (± 9.16) | −0.185 (± 7.84) | 0.589 |
| Change MFIS, psychosocial | 0 [−2.00, 1.00] | −1.00 [−2.00, 0] | 0 [−1.00, 1.00] | 0.390** |
| Initial ESS | 10.0 [5.00, 16.0] | 10.0 [5.00, 16.0] | 9.50 [5.00, 17.0] | 0.746** |
| 12-month ESS | 9.99 (± 5.99) | 9.65 (± 5.17) | 10.3 (± 6.68) | 0.649 |
| Change ESS | 0.0694 (± 5.96) | 0.206 (± 6.09) | −0.0526 (± 5.92) | 0.856 |
| * Fisher’s Exact test due to small cell counts. ** Wilcoxon rank test due to non-normally distributed data, according to the Shapiro normality test. Abbreviations: ESS, Epworth Sleep Scale; FSS, Fatigue Severity Scale; MFIS, Modified Fatigue Impact Scale. | ||||