Objective: To examine self-reported triggers of fatigue for individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), the strategies they employ to cope with fatigue, and the types of exercise and other physical activities PD patients with fatigue participate in.

Background: Despite fatigue being one of the most common non-motor symptoms in PD, there remain few effective treatments to address it. Understanding patient-reported triggers and alleviating factors could inform therapeutic development. Given the integral role exercise plays in PD management, exploring patient perceptions of the effect of physical activity on fatigue is needed.

Method: An online survey was administered to individuals with self-reported PD participating in the online study Fox Insight who had completed the Physical Activity Score for the Elderly (PASE) and Geriatric Depression Scale-15 item in the 90 days prior to survey deployment. The survey included the Parkinson’s Fatigue Scale (PFS) and a series of multiple choice and free text response questions regarding triggers and coping mechanisms for fatigue.

Results: The final sample consisted of 1,029 individuals with PD, mean age 67.4 years, 56% male, mean disease duration 4.6 years. Mean PFS score was 48.8 (SD=16.2; range 16-80). The most frequent triggers of fatigue were: poor sleep (62.1%), physical exertion (45.1%), a busy schedule (44.2%), and emotions (30.5%). Coping strategies included sitting quietly (58.1%), sleeping (48.1%), laying down or resting (52.6%), exercising (19.0%), and caffeine intake (16.4%). Individuals who reported that exercise exacerbated their fatigue (n=194, 19.5%) had mean PASE score of 119.8, whereas those who reported that it helped fatigue (n=511, 51.4%) had mean PASE score of 158.5 (p<0.001).

Conclusion: Individuals with PD identify several behavioral and environmental factors that trigger fatigue as well as strategies that they employ to cope with it. The majority of PD patients feel that exercise helps fatigue. This exploratory study may help aid further inquiry of effective treatments for fatigue.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/triggers-and-alleviating-factors-for-fatigue-in-parkinsons-disease/