Relationship of emotional distress and physical concerns with fatigue severity in sarcoidosis

Background: Fatigue is one of the most common and disabling symptoms of sarcoidosis. The cause of fatigue remains unclear and is usually multifactorial. The majority of previous studies evaluated clinical parameters with only few of them including assessment of psychological factors as contributing to the severity of the symptoms. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of emotional distress, physical concerns, and dyspnea in explaining fatigue in patients with sarcoidosis. Methods: Fifty-seven patients with sarcoidosis were enrolled to the study and filled out measures of fatigue (FAS), dyspnea (MRC), anxiety sensitivity (ASI-3), and anxiety and depression (HADS). Results: Linear regression revealed that distress and physical concerns subscale of ASI are significant predictors of fatigue explaining jointly 53.5% of fatigue variance. Conclusions: The results of the study emphasize the importance of including emotional distress and physical concerns into the diagnostic procedures and management of fatigue in sarcoidosis