Self-Reported Fatigue by the Chalder Fatigue Questionnaire and Mortality in Brazilian Hemodialysis Patients: The PROHEMO

Background: The existing data support the Chalder Fatigue Questionnaire (CFQ-11) as a valid instrument to assess fatigue in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. The objective of this work was to investigate whether self-reported fatigue can serve as an independent prognostic indicator for mortality in MHD patients. Methods: The data are from 233 adult patients enrolled in the cohort "The Prospective Study of the Prognosis of Chronic Hemodialysis Patients" (PROHEMO) developed in Salvador, BA, Brazil. The Brazilian version of the validated CFQ-11 was used to calculate self-reported fatigue. The CFQ-11 scores may range from 0 to 33; higher scores represent more fatigue. Fatigue categories were created based on proposed cut point: absence or mild degree if CFQ-11 scores <4 and moderate to severe if scores >= 4. Cox models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of associations between fatigue and mortality with adjustments for sociodemographic factors, time on dialysis, education, economic class, hemoglobin concentration, diabetes, heart failure, depression, and other psychiatric disorders. Results: The mean age was 51.5 +/- 2.5 years, 58% were male, and 30% were diabetic. Self-reported moderate to severe fatigue was reported by 71% of patients. The mortality rate was 8.6 cases/100 person-years. Patients with moderate to severe fatigue had a more than threefold mortality rate (HR = 3.07, 95% CI: 1.19, 7.93) compared to patients with absent or mild fatigue, after extensive adjustments for covariates. Conclusion: The study provides evidence that self-reported fatigue can help identify MHD patients at higher risk of earlier death.