Fatigue: a complex symptom with wide-reaching effects

Fatigue is associated with increased distress due to some other symptoms, including
pain. It often clusters with cachexia and anorexia, and is difficult to distinguish
between them . It has profound effects on everyday functioning and,
perhaps consequently, service use. It reduces quality of life and increases suffering.
Fatigue has been associated with hospital admission and increased stress to caregivers
(Hinton 1994; Robinson and Posner 1992). The needs of lay caregivers in this context
are often overlooked . A deeper comprehension of these factors is
important in assessing patients, planning care, and in designing and testing future
treatments for fatigue.
But do the effects of fatigue stretch even wider, reaching well beyond traditional
symptom boundaries? Having energy and vitality is an important part of self-image.
Fatigue is often seen as a sign of impending deterioration. So if doctors and nurses are
to discuss fatigue with patients, grasping their interpretation and understanding of
fatigue is essential . Fatigue can have a profound meaning for patients
living with fatigue, and for their carers or family, which also need to be considered and
assessed.