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Reducing fatigue in pediatric rheumatic conditions: a systematic review.

Pediatric rheumatology online journal
January 1, 1970
K Kant-Smits et al. (4 authors)
Journal ArticleSystematic ReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Vitamin D supplementation in reducing fatigue in children and adolescents with Pediatric Rheumatic Conditions (PRCs).

Results Summary

Two placebo-controlled studies showed a significant positive effect of Vitamin D in reducing subjective fatigue in PRC patients. However, the overall evidence was limited by the small number of studies and high risk of bias in some cases.

Population

Children and adolescents (age range 5-23 years) with Pediatric Rheumatic Conditions (PRCs).

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (9)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
land-based exercise therapy
decrease
fatigue
patients with Pediatric Rheumatic Conditions (PRCs)
-
was effective
#1
land-based exercise therapy
no change
fatigue
patients with Pediatric Rheumatic Conditions (PRCs)
-
not effective
#2
aquatic-based exercise therapy
decrease
fatigue
patients with Pediatric Rheumatic Conditions (PRCs)
-
was found more effective than land-based exercise therapy
#3
prednisolone
decrease
subjective fatigue
patients with Pediatric Rheumatic Conditions (PRCs)
-
showed a significant positive effect in reducing
#4
vitamin-D supplementation
decrease
subjective fatigue
patients with Pediatric Rheumatic Conditions (PRCs)
-
showed a significant positive effect in reducing
#5
creatine supplementation
no change
fatigue
patients with Pediatric Rheumatic Conditions (PRCs)
-
was not found effective
#6
cognitive therapy
decrease
fatigue
patients with Pediatric Rheumatic Conditions (PRCs)
-
was effective
#7
cognitive therapy
no change
fatigue
patients with Pediatric Rheumatic Conditions (PRCs)
-
did not show an effect in reducing
#8
a transition program based on health education
decrease
fatigue
patients with Pediatric Rheumatic Conditions (PRCs)
small
showed a small reducing effect
#9
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Although fatigue is a prevalent distressing symptom in children and adolescents with Pediatric Rheumatic Conditions (PRCs), intervention studies designed for reducing fatigue in PRCs are limited. AIM: To systematically review evidence regarding the efficacy of interventions intended to reduce fatigue in patients with PRCs. METHODS: Comprehensive electronic searches were performed in PubMed/ MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science and Cinahl. The risk of bias was assessed using the 'Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials' and 'Quality Assessment Tool for Before-After Studies With No Control Group' for respectively studies with and without a control group. RESULTS: Ten out of 418 studies were included with a total of 240 participants (age range 5-23 years). Interventions included land-based and aquatic-based exercise therapy, prednisolone, vitamin-D and creatine supplementation, psychological therapy and a transition program into an adult rheumatology program. Fatigue was assessed with self-reported questionnaires in all included studies. Land-based exercise therapy was effective in one pre-post intervention study, whereas not effective in two randomized controlled trials. Aquatic-based exercise therapy was found more effective than land-based exercise therapy. Two placebo-controlled studies showed a significant positive effect in reducing subjective fatigue with prednisolone and vitamin-D. Creatine was not found effective. Cognitive therapy was effective in one pre-post intervention study, while one RCT did not show an effect in reducing fatigue. A transition program based on health education showed a small reducing effect, however, it was not clear if this was a significant effect. Six studies showed a high risk of bias, three studies a moderate risk, and one study had a low risk of bias. CONCLUSIONS: Insufficient evidence is provided to substantiate the efficacy of current interventions to reduce fatigue in PRCs. The low number of studies, non-comparable interventions, risk of bias, and inconclusive outcomes of the included studies denote future research should focus on intervention studies aimed at the treatment of fatigue in children and adolescents with PRCs. Identification of possible underlying biological and psychosocial mechanisms as possible treatment targets to reduce complaints of fatigue in children and adolescents with PRCs is warranted.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AdolescentChildChild, PreschoolExercise TherapyFatigueHumansRheumatic DiseasesYoung Adult
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy75/10
Quality70/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations5
Citations/Year1.3
Relative Citation Ratio0.53
NIH Percentile28.5%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.50
Weight Score1.45
Normalized Score0.64
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