Epidemiology of restricting fatigue in older adults: the precipitating events project.

OBJECTIVES

To estimate the rate of restricting fatigue in community-living older adults and to determine whether the rates differ according to age, sex, race, physical frailty, and depression.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Greater New Haven, Connecticut.

PARTICIPANTS

Nondisabled community-living older men and women aged 70 and older (N = 754).

MEASUREMENTS

Restricting fatigue was defined as staying in bed for at least half the day and/or cutting down on one's usual activities because of fatigue for 3 consecutive months or longer. Physical frailty was defined on the basis of slow gait speed, and depression was assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 111 months, the cumulative incidence of restricting fatigue was 31.1% for men and 42.1% for women. The overall incidence rate of restricting fatigue was 6.7 per 1,000 person-months (7.8 for women and 4.4 for men, P < .001), which did not differ according to race. Rates were higher in persons who were physically frail than those who were not (P < .001), in those who were depressed than those who were not (P < .001), and in persons aged 75 to 79 and 80 to 84 than those aged 70 to 74 (both P < .01) but not in those aged 85 and older. Of the 459 episodes of restricting fatigue, the median duration was 3 months, which did not differ according to age, sex, race, physical frailty, or depression.

CONCLUSION

Restricting fatigue is common in community-living older adults. Women, individuals aged 75 to 84, and individuals with physical frailty or depression had higher rates of restricting fatigue than their respective counterparts.