Fatigue in IBD

What is this research looking at?

Many people with Crohn’s or Colitis suffer from fatigue. Sometimes this can be caused by flare-ups or anaemia, but some people are still fatigued even when their symptoms are controlled. This can have an impact on everyday life.

The Crohn’s and Colitis UK study funded by the Big Lottery Fund looked at the effect of fatigue in people with Crohn’s or Colitis, and led to the development of a ‘fatigue score’ which is a simple questionnaire designed to quantify the severity of fatigue. The aim of this new study is to continue looking at fatigue, and assess the effect of a structured support and educational programme on the levels of fatigue in patients with inactive Crohn’s or Colitis who report moderate or severe levels of fatigue.

People whose Crohn’s or Colitis is in remission were invited to take part in the study. They were asked to complete the fatigue and quality of life questionnaires in addition to having the standard assessment of symptoms, blood and poo tests.

23 participants were randomised into one of two groups, the active intervention group or the control group. The active intervention group had educational sessions every eight weeks for six months. The control group had the usual standard of care from their gastroenterologists, with no extra interventions.

The educational sessions that the active intervention group were involved in were small group workshops which were ran by a senior occupational therapist and nurse specialists in IBD and psychological medicine. These sessions were structured around understanding and managing fatigue, how to conserve energy and relaxation techniques designed to meet the needs of people with Crohn’s and Colitis. The sessions involved learning core skills to manage fatigue and setting goals to work on before the next session.

What did the researchers find?

After six months, at the end of the study, all the people involved completed the fatigue and quality of life questionnaires and have their disease activity assessed by symptom scores. The researchers were unable to repeat blood and poo tests at the end of the study.

The researchers found that the group that had the educational sessions had improved scores of fatigue, energy and quality of life when compared to the control group.

What do the researchers think this could mean for people with Crohn's and Colitis?

As this was a study on a small number of people, the researchers hope this will lead to larger studies of fatigue management strategies for people with Crohn’s and Colitis. The researchers hope that in the future, IBD teams are able to offer solutions to help people with Crohn’s or Colitis to manage their conditions and the fatigue that this can bring.

Scientific publications

Randomized controlled trial: a pilot study of a psychoeducational intervention for fatigue in patients with quiescent inflammatory bowel disease (full text available to read for free)

Who is leading the research: Dr John Hamlin, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and Dr Anthony O'Connor, Tallaght University Hospital
Our Funding: £8,490
Duration: 10 months
Official title of the application: The efficacy of a structured psychoeducational Inflammatory Bowel Disease group on the control of fatigue in an adult outpatient setting for patients with objectively quiescent disease
Tags: Fatigue