This study aimed to assess the frequency of fatigue, pain, anxiety, and depression in adults with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and to analyze their relationship with health-related quality of life. Fatigue was assessed with the Fatigue Severity Scale; pain with 1 item of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey and by interview; and anxiety and depression by using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale-Brief Version. Associations between these conditions and quality of life were assessed by means of univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Symptoms of fatigue (40.5%), pain (73.4%), anxiety (24%), and depression (19%) were often found. In many cases, individuals had multiple conditions. Fatigue was related to overall quality of life and to the quality-of-life domains of physical health and environment; anxiety was related to the psychological domain.
Fatigue, pain, anxiety, and depression, symptoms with potential for treatment, often occur in adults with DMD and significantly affect health-related quality of life.