Study on Fatigue and Movement in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Author Information
Author(s): Romijnders Robbin, Atrsaei Arash, Rehman Rana Zia Ur, Strehlow Lea, Massoud Jèrôme, Hinchliffe Chloe, Macrae Victoria, Emmert Kirsten, Reilmann Ralf, Janneke van der Woude C., Van Gassen Geert, Baribaud Frédéric, Ahmaniemi Teemu, Chatterjee Meenakshi, Vitturi Bruno Kusznir, Pinaud Clémence, Kalifa Jérôme, Avey Stefan, Ng Wan-Fai, Hansen Clint, Manyakov Nikolay V., Maetzler Walter
Primary Institution: Department of Neurology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
Hypothesis
Kinematic features of sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit transitions are associated with fatigue in patients with neurodegenerative and immune diseases.
Conclusion
The study found that specific kinematic features of movement are associated with levels of physical and mental fatigue in patients with various diseases.
Supporting Evidence
- Fatigue is common in neurodegenerative and immune diseases, affecting quality of life.
- Current assessments of fatigue often rely on subjective patient reports.
- Wearable sensors can provide objective measures of fatigue through movement analysis.
- Significant associations were found between kinematic features and fatigue levels.
- Extreme values of movement metrics were more informative than median values for assessing fatigue.
Takeaway
This study shows that how people move when sitting and standing can tell us a lot about how tired they feel.
Methodology
Participants wore an IMU for four weeks and reported fatigue levels four times daily, with data analyzed using mixed-effects models.
Potential Biases
Potential recall bias in self-reported fatigue levels.
Limitations
The study relied on subjective fatigue measures and may not generalize to all patient populations.
Participant Demographics
Participants included individuals with Parkinson's, Huntington's, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, primary Sjögren’s syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.003 for physical fatigue and 0.015 for mental fatigue associations.
Confidence Interval
95% confidence intervals reported for significant associations.
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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