Fatigue is a common symptom in multiple sclerosis. To assess the frequency with which it precedes the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS), patients diagnosed with fatigue within a three year period prior to newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis were identified from MarketScan Databases.
Of the 5305 patients studied, 1534 (28.9%) were labeled with chronic fatigue syndrome, malaise or fatigue prior to the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. One-third of these patients were labeled with fatigue one to two years before the diagnosis; 30.8% were diagnosed only with fatigue and had no other multiple sclerosis symptoms prior to their MS diagnosis. Among the patients diagnosed with fatigue, 10.4% were also prescribed medication for fatigue.
This study suggests that fatigue may precede multiple sclerosis diagnosis, often by years. The authors recommend recording the history of transient neurological symptoms as well as performing a physical examination for any patient presenting with fatigue.
Berger JR, Pocoski J, Preblick R, Boklage S: Fatigue heralding multiple sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis [Epub ahead of print, February 25, 2013, doi: 10.1177/1352458513477924].
