Chronic Fatigue, Physical Impairments and Quality of Life in Women with Endometriosis: A Case-Control Study

Francisco Álvarez-Salvago, Ana Lara-Ramos, Irene Cantarero‐Villanueva, Maryna Mazheika, Antonio Mundo-López, Noelia Galiano‐Castillo, Carolina Fernández‐Lao, Manuel Arroyo‐Morales, Manuel Arroyo-Morales, Olga Ocón‐Hernández, Francisco Artacho‐Cordón
International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020 · vol. 17(10) , pp. 3610 · doi:10.3390/ijerph17103610 · PMID:32455618 · PMC7277433 · W3028341443
article OA: gold CC0 ⤵ 24 in-corpus citations
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Women with endometriosis experienced higher fatigue, poorer physical fitness, sleep quality, and quality of life compared to controls, with ERF worsening these outcomes.

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Abstract

Aim: To explore endometriosis-related fatigue (ERF), health-related fitness, sleep quality, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in women with endometriosis in comparison with matched controls. Methods: Twenty-five affected women and twenty-five age and height-matched women without endometriosis were included. ERF was assessed through the Piper Fatigue Scale; health-related fitness was assessed through the Schöber, flamingo, and 6-min walking tests and dynamometry; and body composition was assessed through impedanciometry. Self-perceived physical fitness, sleep quality, and HRQoL were assessed through the International Fitness Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the 12-item Short Form Health Survey, respectively. Results: Affected women exhibited higher levels of ERF than controls, increased fat mass, and physical deconditioning (reduced back strength, lumbar flexibility, body balance, and functional capacity, p-values < 0.050). Moreover, cases also had poorer perceived physical fitness, sleep quality, and HRQoL (p-value < 0.050). Finally, we observed deteriorated health-related fitness, sleep quality, and HRQoL in those women with endometriosis with higher levels of ERF. Conclusions: This study constitutes the first evidence that women with endometriosis describe a generalized physical deconditioning, even more pronounced in affected women with higher levels of ERF. Further studies assessing the efficacy of rehabilitation interventions to face these physical impairments in women with endometriosis are warranted.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometriosis Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic Adult Case-Control Studies Female Humans Physical Fitness Quality of Life

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References (62)

Cited by (24)

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