Abstract
BACKGROUND: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive, immune-mediated disease of the central nervous system. Fatigue is a common and disabling symptom in patients with MS (PwMS). Some psychological factors, such as depression, stress, and anxiety, also appear to be related to these issues. OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to investigate the fatigue conditions of PwMS in China and its influencing factors, as well as to explore the correlation between fatigue with anxiety and depression. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional study conducted through the Internet, which collected demographic characteristics, clinical data, Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). RESULTS: A total of 366 PwMS were included in this study. MFIS showed a median fatigue total score of 40.0 (interquartile range [IQR] 26.0-52.0), with 55.7% (n = 204) of patients experiencing fatigue. The scores on MFIS were positively correlated with age, disease duration, BAI score, and BDI-II score. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of fatigue among Chinese PwMS is 55.7%. Age, education, employment, marital status, type of disease, and disease duration are all factors influencing the fatigue rate in PwMS. Fatigue in PwMS exhibit strong positive correlations with depression and anxiety.