Affiliations 

  • 1 School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy and Priority Research Centre for Stroke and Brain Injury, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
  • 2 School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
Brain Behav Immun Health, 2020 Dec;9:100157.
PMID: 34589899 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2020.100157

Abstract

Background: The precise mechanisms underlying the aetiology of post-stroke fatigue remain poorly understood. Inflammation has been associated with clinically significant fatigue across a number of neurological disorders; however, at present there is a lack of evidence regarding the association of fatigue and inflammation in the chronic phase of stroke recovery.

Aims: The aim of this study was to examine fatigue in a cohort of stroke survivors in the chronic phase of stroke, compared with matched controls, and to explore associations between the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6, high-sensitivity C-reactive Protein and fatigue.

Methods: We performed an exploratory cross-sectional study of 70 people in the chronic phase of stroke recovery, and 70 age matched controls. Fatigue was assessed using the Fatigue Assessment Scale. Interleukin-6 was measured in serum using a commercially available enzyme immunoassay kit. Both outcome measures were assessed contemporaneously.

Results: Clinically significant fatigue, defined as a score ≥24 on the Fatigue Assessment Scale, was reported by 60% of stroke survivors, and 15.7% of controls. The odds of experiencing clinically significant fatigue was 8.04 times higher among stroke survivors compared to control participants (odds ratio 8.045; 95% CI: 3.608, 17.939; P ​

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.