BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown fatigue and depression/anxiety to be highly associated with each other. The present study seeks to differentiate between fatigue and depression/anxiety and to investigate the familiality/heritability of fatigue using sib-pairs. METHOD: The GENESiS study is a questionnaire study based in the United Kingdom that includes a five-item fatigue scale and four mental health measures (GHQ-12, EPQ-N, MASQ-AA, MASQ-HPA). Fatigue data from 10,444 sibling pairs were analysed using multivariate methods and model fitting techniques to investigate the familiality/heritability of fatigue and its relationship with the other mental health measures and physical health items. RESULTS: Fatigue correlated highly with GHQ-12 (r=0.62, p<0.001). A principal components analysis of the fatigue scale and the GHQ-12 revealed one main component which correlated highly with mental health items, and a smaller second component which correlated modestly with physical health items. Fatigue showed a modest sibling correlation (0.09, p<0.001), and multivariate modelling revealed evidence for familial effects on fatigue that were independent of the mental health measures. CONCLUSIONS: Fatigue showed a strong relationship with both physical illness and mental health measures. Fatigue is modestly familial and at least part of this familial factor is not shared with mental health measures.
BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown fatigue and depression/anxiety to be highly associated with each other. The present study seeks to differentiate between fatigue and depression/anxiety and to investigate the familiality/heritability of fatigue using sib-pairs. METHOD: The GENESiS study is a questionnaire study based in the United Kingdom that includes a five-item fatigue scale and four mental health measures (GHQ-12, EPQ-N, MASQ-AA, MASQ-HPA). Fatigue data from 10,444 sibling pairs were analysed using multivariate methods and model fitting techniques to investigate the familiality/heritability of fatigue and its relationship with the other mental health measures and physical health items. RESULTS: Fatigue correlated highly with GHQ-12 (r=0.62, p<0.001). A principal components analysis of the fatigue scale and the GHQ-12 revealed one main component which correlated highly with mental health items, and a smaller second component which correlated modestly with physical health items. Fatigue showed a modest sibling correlation (0.09, p<0.001), and multivariate modelling revealed evidence for familial effects on fatigue that were independent of the mental health measures. CONCLUSIONS: Fatigue showed a strong relationship with both physical illness and mental health measures. Fatigue is modestly familial and at least part of this familial factor is not shared with mental health measures.
Authors: Harriet A Ball; Sisira H Siribaddana; Athula Sumathipala; Yulia Kovas; Nick Glozier; Frühling Rijsdijk; Peter McGuffin; Matthew Hotopf Journal: Twin Res Hum Genet Date: 2011-02 Impact factor: 1.587
Authors: Harriet A Ball; Sisira H Siribaddana; Athula Sumathipala; Yulia Kovas; Nick Glozier; Peter McGuffin; Matthew Hotopf Journal: BMC Psychiatry Date: 2010-02-02 Impact factor: 3.630
Authors: Kelsea R LaSorda; Theresa Gmelin; Allison L Kuipers; Robert M Boudreau; Adam J Santanasto; Kaare Christensen; Sharon W Renner; Mary K Wojczynski; Stacy L Andersen; Stephanie Cosentino; Nancy W Glynn Journal: J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci Date: 2020-09-16 Impact factor: 6.053
Authors: B L Cohen; H Zoëga; S A Shah; N Leleiko; S Lidofsky; R Bright; N Flowers; M Law; H Moniz; M Merrick; B E Sands Journal: Aliment Pharmacol Ther Date: 2014-02-20 Impact factor: 8.171