Burns Open (Jul 2021)
Fatigue after burn – Is it common? A preliminary survey
Abstract
Physical function and daily activities are often affected after burn injury. Fatigue is a condition that is rarely assessed. Being a well-known sequela after traumatic brain-injury or diseases of the nervous system, fatigue has also been described among the burn population with a negative impact on daily activities and reduced capacity for work.The aim of this study was to examine if, and to what extent, fatigue is a problem among our burn victims.Twenty consecutive patients scheduled for follow-up at the Burn center’s outpatient clinic in Uppsala, were asked to fill out the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). A healthy reference group without a burn injury, gender and age matched, were asked to fill out the same questionnaire.The results show that the patient group has a statistically significant higher score of fatigue compared to the reference group (p = 0.004). However, the results must be interpreted with caution considering the relatively small sample size. In future research it is also important to investigate the relationship between fatigue and daily activities, depression, return to work, and quality of life.
