Treatment of fatigue in hepatogastroenterology: fact or fiction?

lthough fatigue is the most common complaints reported by patients in primary care [1], last decades of research have been hampered by the lack of an objective measurement of the subjective experience of fatigue. The Fatigue Impact Scale (FIS) questionnaire was developed in 1994 by Fisk and colleagues to quantify the specific impact of fatigue on quality of life [2]. In Hepatogastroenterology, this validated tool has confirmed the disabling effect of fatigue in many chronic illness such as chronic hepatitis C [3, 4] and primary biliary cirrhosis [5, 6] but also in functional bowel disorders namely the irritable bowel syndrome (personal data). For instance, the FIS questionnaire is of particular interest in ongoing trials aimed at reducing fatigue. Considering the high prevalence of fatigue, thus inducing a considerable burden to the health care system, the elucidation of its still poorly known pathogenesis and the development of effective therapies for its relief are important goals for research in Hepatogastroenterology.