Prevalence and characteristics of asthenic syndrome in patients with chronic respiratory diseases living in Krasnoyarsk

   Introduction. The coexistence of asthenia and chronic respiratory diseases substantially affects patients’ overall well-being, work capacity, treatment adherence and quality of life. Nevertheless, published data on the prevalence
of asthenia in chronic non-infectious lung diseases (CNLD) remain scarce.

   Aim. To assess the prevalence of asthenic syndrome among patients with CNLD living in Krasnoyarsk.

   Materials and methods. A clinic-based study was carried out in outpatient polyclinics in Krasnoyarsk from July to August 2023. We enrolled 381 patients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, or their combination, and 60 conditionally healthy subjects. Asthenia was evaluated with the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Twenty-five clinical and laboratory parameters were recorded.

   Results. Asthenic syndrome was diagnosed in 142 (37.5 %) patients with chronic respiratory diseases. All asthenic patients were divided into three groups: group 1 –81 patients with asthma (51 women, 30 men; median age 56 [39;68]), group 2–42 patients with COPD (13 women, 29 men; median age 57.5 [49;67]), and group 3–19 patients with both COPD and asthma (12 women, 7 men; median age 67 [52;17]). Patients with combined COPD and asthma showed a significantly higher frequency of all asthenia subtypes – general asthenia, reduced activity, decreased motivation, physical asthenia and mental asthenia (all p < 0.05) – than patients with a single disease.

   Conclusion. Signs of asthenic syndrome were detected in nearly 40 % of patients with CNLD, a rather high figure. Despite the study’s limitations, the findings underline the clinical importance of assessing asthenia in this patient population.

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