Abstract Number: PB0827
Meeting: ISTH 2021 Congress
Theme: Platelet Disorders, von Willebrand Disease and Thrombotic Microangiopathies » Acquired Thrombocytopenias
Background: Patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), a condition characterized by thrombocytopenia due to immune-mediated destruction of platelets, frequently report concomitant fatigue.
Aims: (1) To validate a well-known fatigue-specific questionnaire, the Checklist Individual Strength (CIS), in ITP patients.
(2) To assess the presence of fatigue and compare this with other chronically-ill populations.
Methods: In a single-center cross-sectional study, patients with chronic ITP patients aged ≥16 years, who were currently treated or had a platelet count <100*109/L were included. Patients completed the entire CIS20 (subscales: fatigue (CIS8), concentration, motivation and activity), and the FACIT-F, a fatigue-specific questionnaire validated in ITP. Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach’s α (α ; ≥ 0.8). Construct validity was assessed by a Spearman’s correlation (r) with FACIT-F. We considered r ≤-0.7 a strong correlation (negative due to reverse scoring in the two questionnaires). The cut-off for severe fatigue is a score of ≥35 on the CIS8. Descriptive statistics included percentages or medians (interquartile range). Comparative data from other chronically ill populations were extracted from the literature.
Results: We assessed 55 ITP patients (62% female, age 44 years (29-58)), of whom 23% received treatment at time of assessment. Median platelet count was 63*109/L (46-92*109/L). The internal consistency was good for both the CIS8 and the CIS20 (α for both: 0.96 (95%-CI 0.94-0.97)). The correlation with the FACIT-F was also strong for both (r -0.86, and -0.85). 32 ITP patients (58%) were severely fatigued. This proportion is higher than in neuralgic amyotrophy, renal transplantation, rheumatoid arthritis, and type 1 diabetes (39-44%), but lower than in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, chronic pancreatitis, primary Sjögren, multiple sclerosis (68-77%).
Conclusions: Both the CIS20 and the CIS8 are valid in ITP. Severe fatigue in ITP patients is common, comparable with other chronically ill populations.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
van Dijk WEM, Kuijlaars IAR, Suijker MH, van Galen KPM, Schutgens REG. Fatigue in Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenia Patients: Validation of the Checklist Individual Strength and Comparison to Other Chronically Ill Populations [abstract]. Res Pract Thromb Haemost. 2021; 5 (Suppl 2). https://abstracts.isth.org/abstract/fatigue-in-chronic-immune-thrombocytopenia-patients-validation-of-the-checklist-individual-strength-and-comparison-to-other-chronically-ill-populations/. Accessed November 30, 2023.« Back to ISTH 2021 Congress
ISTH Congress Abstracts - https://abstracts.isth.org/abstract/fatigue-in-chronic-immune-thrombocytopenia-patients-validation-of-the-checklist-individual-strength-and-comparison-to-other-chronically-ill-populations/