EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTS OF A TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR PATIENTS WITH PROLONGED FATIGUE ON PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AND FATIGUE COMPLAINTS
Journal Title: International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health - Year 2008, Vol 21, Issue 3
Abstract
[b]Objectives[/b]: Complaints of prolonged fatigue are considered as a major health problem, as it can affect daily functioning and may lead to work disability. To increase knowledge about the effectiveness of interventions focussing on fatigued patients, a study was designed to evaluate an established training programme for patients with prolonged fatigue. [b]Materials and Methods: [/b]Eighteen patients who reported fatigue to be one of their major health complaints and who were suffering from functional impairments attended a training programme of six weeks, three times a week. The training consisted mainly of physical endurance training, relaxation therapy and breathing exercises in rest. At baseline, time- and frequency-domain measures of heart rate variability (HRV) and respiration rate measurements were recorded during rest and during recovery after bicycle exercise. Furthermore, fatigue complaints were assessed with the Checklist Individual Strength (CIS). These measurements were repeated at three weeks and six weeks from baseline. [b]Results: [/b]After three weeks, HRV increased significantly in rest - SDNN, i.e. standard deviation of normal beat-to-beat intervals (p = 0.02), very low frequency (p = 0.04) and low frequency (p = 0.04) - and showed a positive trend in the remaining HRV components. No significant HRV changes during recovery were found. Respiration rate decreased significantly after six weeks during rest (from 11.8, SD = 4.65 to 8.1, SD = 2.57 b×min-1) and during recovery (from 15.1, SD = 4.90 to 10.4, SD = 2.97 b×min-1). In all patients, CIS scores decreased after six weeks training (from 106, SD = 13.3 to 78, SD = 21.8, p = 0.001). [b]Conclusions:[/b] The results suggest that a six-week training programme has a beneficial effect on physiological and subjective parameters in patients with severe complaints of fatigue.
Authors and Affiliations
MARGOT JOOSEN, JUDITH SLUITER, CATELIJNE JOLING, MONIQUE FRINGS-DRESEN
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP154931
- DOI 10.2478/v10001-008-0025-9
- Views 53
- Downloads 0
Development and implementation of work-related medical rehabilitation in cancer patients using organizational ethnography and action research methodology
Objectives: To develop a work-related medical rehabilitation (WMR) program for cancer patients based on the best available evidence, the expertise of rehabilitation professionals and the perspective of the patients, to e...
Occupational exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) in a plastic injection molding factory in Malaysia
Objectives: The purpose of this study has been to assess ambient bisphenol A (BPA) levels in workplaces and urine levels of workers and to establish a BPA database for different populations in Malaysia. Material and Meth...
POLISH BIBLIOGRAPHY OF OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE, 2007
Effects of meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid, potassium iodide and chlorophyll on lead accumulation in male mice
Objectives: Lead (Pb) pollution is a serious public health problem all over the world, it especially plays severe damage role in children’s health. Apart from reducing lead-induced damages, the decrease of lead accumulat...
Economic situation and occupational accidents in Poland: 2002–2014 panel data regional study
Objectives: Occupational accidents constitute a substantial health and economic burden for societies around the world and a variety of factors determine the frequency of accidents at work. The aim of this paper is to inv...