We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 March 2010
Key words: Multiple sclerosis; modafinil; fatigue; neurotherapeutics; clinical trial.
Introduction and Overview
Fatigue is a disabling symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS), affecting more than 50% of patients with the diagnostic of clinically definite MS. Among patients with fatigue, a high proportion indicates that it represents the most troublesome symptom of the disease (Fisk et al., 1994). As fatigue is a subjective feeling, it usually receives little attention from physicians, patients' family and employers, whereas it has a tremendous impact on the activities of daily life, interfering with work, family life and social activities.
The diagnosis and management of fatigue in MS are complicated by number of issues, including the many forms that the symptom can take. In some cases fatigue may be related to depression, cognitive dysfunction, poor sleeping or motor impairment, defining secondary fatigue. Nevertheless, for many patients, fatigue exists independently of both motor weakness, cognitive or mood disorders: this primary fatigue is felt as an overwhelming sense of tiredness, a lack of energy or a feeling of exhaustion; patients also have the feeling that the effort required to perform action is disproportionately high, and, as a consequence, tend to reduce their physical activity (Comi et al., 2001). This fatigue affects mood and the ability to cope with the disease (Ritvo et al., 1996), and decreases the quality of life (Schwartz et al., 1996).
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
