Validation of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue Scale relative to other instrumentation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

David Cella*, Susan Yount, Mark Sorensen, Elliot Chartash, Nishan Sengupta, James Grober

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

427 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective. This study validated a brief measure of fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) Fatigue Scale. Methods. The FACIT Fatigue was tested along with measures previously validated in RA: the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue (MAF) and Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36 (SF-36) Vitality. The sample included 636 patients with RA enrolled in a 24 week double blind, randomized clinical trial (RCT) of adalimumab versus placebo. Results. The FACIT Fatigue showed good internal consistency (alpha = 0.86 to 0.87), strong association with SF-36 Vitality (r = 0.73 to 0.84) and MAF (r = -0.84 to -0.88), and the ability to differentiate patients according to clinical change using the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) response criteria (ACR 20/50/70). Psychometric performance of the FACIT Fatigue scale was comparable to that of the other 2 fatigue measures. A minimally important difference in FACIT Fatigue change score of 3-4 points was confirmed in a separate sample of 271 patients with RA enrolled in a second double blind RCT of adalimumab versus placebo. Conclusion. The FACIT Fatigue is a brief, valid measure for monitoring this important symptom and its effects on patients with RA.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)811-819
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Rheumatology
Volume32
Issue number5
StatePublished - May 1 2005

Keywords

  • Fatigue
  • Questionnaires
  • Rheumatoid arthritis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Rheumatology
  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Immunology

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