Functional outcome and depression in the elderly with or without fatigue

We evaluated the influence of fatigue on functional outcomes and depression in older people. Fatigue was measured using the fatigue severity scale (FSS). Activity of daily living function was assessed using the functional independence measurement (FIM), the geriatric depression inventory (GDI) was used to assess depression. The average FSS score was 5.66 ± 1.03 for subjects in the fatigue group, with 50 patients (40.3%) having FSS scores ≥4 points. Significant relationships were found between fatigue and GDI (p < 0.001, r = 0.363) and FIM (p < 0.04, r = −0.183). Binary logistic regression analysis identified GDI as a significant predictor of fatigue (p < 0.001). We found that 40.3% of older people had fatigue. Fatigue showed a significant correlation with depression and functional status. These findings emphasize the need for careful clinical screening of both fatigue and depression in older individuals.