Fatigue in stroke survivors: a 5-year follow-up of the Fall study of Gothenburg

Longer term knowledge of post-stroke fatigue (PSF) is limited. Our aim was to describe the prevalence of, and to identify baseline predictors associated with, PSF 5 years after stroke. We undertook a follow-up of stroke survivors from the 504 consecutively recruited participants in the observational “The Fall Study of Gothenburg”, conducted between 2014 and 2016. The dependent variable, PSF, was assessed using the Swedish version of the Fatigue Assessment Scale (S-FAS) and defined as having a S-FAS score ≥ 24. The S-FAS questionnaire was mailed to potential participants in August 2020. The independent variables, previously obtained from medical records, included age; sex; comorbidities; stroke severity; hospital length of stay; body mass index (BMI); number of medications and lifestyle factors at index stroke. To identify predictors of PSF, univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. Of the 305 eligible participants, 119 (39%) responded with complete S-FAS. Mean age at index stroke was 71 (SD 10.4) years and 41% were female. After a mean of 4.9 years after stroke, the prevalence of PSF was 52%. Among those with PSF, almost two thirds were classified as having both physical and mental PSF. In the multivariable analysis, only high BMI predicted PSF with an odds ratio of 1.25 (95% CI 1.11–1.41, p < 0.01). In conclusion, half of the participants reported PSF 5 years after index stroke and higher body mass index was identified as a predictor. The findings from this study are important for healthcare professionals, for planning health-related efforts and rehabilitation of stroke survivors.