Fatigue and cognitive fatigability in patients with chronic pain

Objectives: Fatigue is common in patients with chronic pain. Still, there is a lack of studies examining objectively measurable cognitive aspects of fatigue: cognitive fatigability (CF). We aimed to investigate the presence of CF in patients with chronic pain and its relation to self-rated fatigue, attention, pain characteristics, sleep disturbance, depression, and anxiety. Methods: Two hundred patients with chronic pain and a reference group of 36 healthy subjects underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery, including measurement of CF with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III Coding subtest, and self-assessment of trait and state fatigue. Results: The patients with chronic pain did not show more CF as compared to the reference group. There was an association between CF and processing speed on a test of sustained and selective attention in the chronic pain group, while self-rated fatigue measures and pain characteristics were not associated with CF. Self-rated fatigue measures were highly correlated with self-rated pain intensity, spreading of pain, depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance. Conclusions: The findings highlight the distinction between objective and subjective aspects of fatigue in chronic pain, and that the underlying causes of these different aspects of fatigue need to be studied further.

Location
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
Extent
Online-Ressource
Language
Englisch

Bibliographic citation
Fatigue and cognitive fatigability in patients with chronic pain ; volume:24 ; number:1 ; year:2024 ; extent:10
Scandinavian journal of pain ; 24, Heft 1 (2024) (gesamt 10)

Creator
Holmqvist, Anna
Berginström, Nils
Löfgren, Monika
Stålnacke, Britt-Marie
Möller, Marika C.

DOI
10.1515/sjpain-2023-0085
URN
urn:nbn:de:101:1-2024030714421909836971
Rights
Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
Last update
14.08.2025, 10:52 AM CEST

Data provider

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Associated

  • Holmqvist, Anna
  • Berginström, Nils
  • Löfgren, Monika
  • Stålnacke, Britt-Marie
  • Möller, Marika C.

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