Bio-Psychological Predictors of Acute and Protracted Fatigue After Burns: A Longitudinal Study, 2022, Boersma-van Dam et al

Objective: Fatigue after burns is often attributed to the hyperinflammatory and hypermetabolic response, while it may be best understood from a bio-psychological perspective, also involving the neuro-endocrine system. This longitudinal multi-center study examined the course of fatigue up to 18 months postburn. The contribution of bio-psychological factors, including burn severity, pain, and acute PTSD symptoms, to the course and persistence of fatigue was studied in a multifactorial model.

Methods: Participants were 247 adult burn survivors. Fatigue symptoms were assessed with the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory during the acute phase and subsequently at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months postburn, and were compared to population norms. Age, gender, burn severity, acute PTSD symptoms and pain were assessed as potential predictors of fatigue over time in a latent growth model.

Results: At 18 months postburn, 46% of the burn survivors reported fatigue, including 18% with severe fatigue. In the acute phase, higher levels of fatigue were related to multiple surgeries, presence of pain, and higher levels of acute PTSD symptoms. Fatigue gradually decreased over time with minor individual differences in rate of decrease. At 18 months, pain and acute PTSD symptoms remained significant predictors of fatigue levels.

Conclusions: Protracted fatigue after burns was found in almost one out of five burn survivors and was associated with both pain and acute PTSD symptoms. Early detection of PTSD symptoms and early psychological interventions aimed at reducing PTSD symptoms and pain may be warranted to reduce later fatigue symptoms.

Open access, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.794364/full

 

Wut? Words literally mean nothing, I guess.

 

I would have thought they were warranted to reduce PTSD symptoms and pain!

 

Ah but in an informercial the product can do everything, clean everything, even take your dog for a walk.

Though it seems they are using fatigue here with basically the same meaning as "pandemic fatigue", i.e. "I don't want to do this anymore". Or whatever, who knows what words mean anymore when they've been beaten out of all meaning years ago.