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Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2023

DOI: 10.1249/mss.0000000000003306

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Perceived Fatigability, Fatigue, and Mortality in Mid-to-Late Life in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging

This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.
This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.

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Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction/Purpose Fatigue is an established prognostic indicator of mortality risk. It remains unknown whether fatigability anchored to a physical task is a more sensitive prognostic indicator and whether sensitivity differs by prevalent chronic conditions. Methods 1,076 physically well-functioning participants aged ≥50 years in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging self-reported fatigue (unusual tiredness or low energy) and had perceived fatigability assessed after a standardized treadmill walk. All-cause mortality was ascertained by proxy contact and National Death Index linkage. Cox proportional hazards models estimated associations of perceived fatigability and fatigue with all-cause mortality, adjusting for demographic and clinical covariates. Interactions by chronic conditions were also examined. Results Each one-standard deviation higher in perceived fatigability, unusual tiredness, or low energy was associated with a higher relative hazard of all-cause mortality after covariate adjustment (fatigability: HR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.03-1.36; unusual tiredness: HR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.08-1.44; low energy: HR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.10-1.46). Models had similar discrimination (p > 0.14 for all). Perceived fatigability was associated with mortality risk among participants free of arthritis or osteoarthritis who otherwise appeared healthy (no arthritis: HR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.15-1.84; arthritis: HR = 1.09, 95% CI: 0.92-1.30; p-interaction = 0.031). Unusual tiredness was associated with mortality among those with a history of diabetes (no diabetes: HR = 1.16, 95% CI: 0.97-1.38; diabetes: HR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.22-2.23; p-interaction = 0.045) or pulmonary disease (no pulmonary disease: HR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.05-1.43; pulmonary disease: HR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.15-4.03; p-interaction = 0.034). Conclusions Higher perceived fatigability and fatigue symptoms were similarly associated with higher all-cause mortality, but utility differed by chronic condition. Perceived fatigability might be useful for health screening and long-term mortality risk assessment for well-functioning adults. Alternatively, self-reported fatigue appears more disease-specific with regards to mortality risk.