Fatigue in women after percutaneous coronary intervention - results from CONCARDPCI

Background Better and more efficient treatment have led to decreased mortality rates and shorter hospital stays in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Nevertheless, fatigue is a prominent and distressing symptom in patients with CAD more frequently reported in women. Therefore, further investigation through follow-up studies focusing on women and fatigue in the context of CAD is imperative to address this knowledge gap and enhance clinical outcomes. Purpose To investigate fatigue in women with CAD at baseline, 2, 6 and 12 months after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and to determine whether self-reported health, and clinical and sociodemographic characteristics are associated with fatigue after PCI. Methods CONCARDPCI is a multicentre, prospective cohort study including 3417 consecutive patients after PCI. Of these, 22% (n=746) were women and included in this analysis. Clinical data were collected from patients’ medical records and national registries. Sociodemographic characteristics were self-reported at baseline registration. Self-reported health was assessed with RAND-12 Item Short Form Health Survey (RAND-12) and the Myocardial Infarction Dimensional Assessment Scale (MIDAS). Fatigue was measured with a Visual Analogue Fatigue scale providing scores from 0-10 with higher scores indicating higher levels of fatigue. Patient-reported outcomes measures were completed at baseline and 2-, 6- and 12 months after hospital discharge. Results A substantial proportion was living alone (39%), retired (55%) or had three or more comorbidities (67%). Meanage was 68 years (SD 10). Age was significantly associated with fatigue at baseline (p<0.001), 6 months (p=0.002) and 12 months (p<0.001) in the RAND-12 model and at 2 months (p=0.018) and 12 months (p= 0.003) in the MIDAS model. Cohabitation status was significantly associated with fatigue at baseline (p=0.001), 2 months (p=0.033) and 12 months (p=0.016) in the RAND-12 model and at 2 months (p=0.032) in the MIDAS model. The degree of fatigue was at the highest level at baseline (5.2, SD 2.7) but was still present after one year (4.4, SD 2.6) (p≤0.004 for all comparisons). In RAND-12, self-reported physical health was associated with fatigue (p <0.001 for all comparisons). Furthermore, mental health was associated with fatigue at all meassuring time points (p<0.001- p=0.006). In MIDAS, physical health was associated with fatigue (p<0.001 for all comparisons). Conclusion A substantial proportion of women reported challenges with fatigue long after hospital discharge. Therefore, healthcare providers must identify the most vulnerable patients and tailor interventions accordingly. Person-centered treatment strategies may be developed by identifying factors associated with fatigue, such as age, cohabitation status, and self-reported physical and mental health.