Managing fatigue in patients with interstitial lung disease.

Managing fatigue in patients with interstitial lung disease. Chest. 2020 May 06;: Authors: Kahlmann V, Moor CC, Wijsenbeek MS Abstract Fatigue is one of the most burdensome symptoms in interstitial lung disease (ILD), and can have a major impact on quality of life of patients, social interactions and work capacity. The etiology of fatigue is complex, and it is caused or aggravated by a combination of different predisposing, precipitating and perpetuating factors. There is no uniform definition of fatigue, but it is often divided in a physical and mental component. Several validated questionnaires can be used for structural assessment of fatigue in daily care. Although the high burden of fatigue in ILD is increasingly recognized, studies investigating pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment options are scarce. As fatigue in ILD is often a multifactorial problem, therapeutic interventions should ideally be aimed at different domains. One of the first steps is to optimize treatment of the underlying disease. Subsequently, treatable causes of fatigue should be identified and treated. Recently, an increasing number of studies showed that supportive measures have the potential to improve fatigue. However, evidence-based treatment guidelines are lacking, and more research is highly needed in this field. In clinical practice, a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and individually-tailored approach seems best fit to optimize treatment...
Source: Chest - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Chest Source Type: research