Fatigue in Older Adults Postmyocardial Infarction

Patricia Barton Crane, Jimmy T. Efird, Willie Mae Abel

The purpose of this study was to comprehensively examine putative factors that may independently contribute to fatigue and subsequent persistence of fatigue in elderly adults 6-8 months post-myocardial infarction (MI). Studies suggest cardiac function, comorbidities, daytime sleepiness, depression, anemia, interleukins, and social support are correlates of fatigue; however, no studies have systematically examined these factors 6 months post-MI in an aging population. Study participants included 49 women and men (N = 98) ages 65-91 who were 6-8 months post-MI. Data collection included the demographic health status questionnaire (heart rate, blood pressure, body mass index, and medications), fatigue-related comorbidity scale, revised Piper fatigue scale, Epworth sleepiness scale, geriatric depression scale, social provisions scale, and venous blood tests (B-natriuretic peptide, hemoglobin, and interleukin-6). Fatigue persisted after MI in 76% of older men and women with no difference by sex. Only depression scores (P trend = 0.0004) and mean arterial pressure (P trend = 0.015) were found to be linearly independent predictors for fatigue, controlling for age, Il-6 levels, and body mass index. Post-MI depression and mean arterial blood pressure are important to assess when examining fatigue post-MI in older populations.