Patients with Type 1 Diabetes in Sweden Experience More Fatigue Than the General Population

Aims: Type 2 diabetes has been linked to fatigue, but results on type 1 diabetes are ambiguous. Our aim was to determine if type 1 diabetes is associated with fatigue and whether the fatigue is due to complications or to the disease itself.

Methods: The Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20), was submitted to all 435 adult patients with type 1 diabetes in the National Diabetes Register at the Sunderby Hospital clinic and to a control group of 2500 persons. The participation rate was 62% in both groups.

Results: Type 1 diabetes was associated with greater fatigue, with a 1.4-point difference (0.9-1.9, 95% CI) in on a scale of 4-20. Type 1 diabetes was an independent predictor of fatigue, as were cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Women with long diabetes duration but without complications experienced more fatigue than women in the general population (difference in  = 2.5,  = 0.021), whereas men showed no significant difference.

Conclusions: Type 1 diabetes is associated with greater fatigue, partly ascribed to vascular disease. Type 1 diabetes of long duration might be associated with fatigue regardless of classical complications, but further research is needed to confirm results.