Fatigue of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia during chemotherapy and influencing factors

Objective To investigate fatigue in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) during chemotherapy, and influencing factors. Methods From Feburary 2014 to August 2016, 216 children with ALL, from 5 to 15 years old, treated in a Grade III, Level A children's hospital in Zhengzhou, were surveyed by Peds QLTM multidimensional fatigue scale (Chinese version) and Questionnaire on discomfort in ALL children during chemotherapy. Results During chemotherapy, total scores of fatigue in the ALL children were (31.71±16.66) , with fatigue of the whole body (11.67±6.29) , of sleeping (10.99±5.57) , and of cognition (9.10±6.84) ; during chemotherapy, incidence of fatigue of the whole body was 90.74%, of sleeping 95.83%, and of cognition 81.94%. Main influencing factors of fatigue of the whole body were weight loss, appetite loss and lack of energy, accounting for 72.8% of fatigue variation; that of sleeping were weight loss and irritability, accounting for 51.2% of fatigue variation; and that of cognition were difficulty in concentration and oral ulcer, accounting for 44.2% of fatigue variation. Conclusions During chemotherapy, fatigue in ALL children is common and is below average level. When managing fatigue symptoms in ALL children, nurses should actively treat the symptoms, so as to reduce the level of fatigue. Key words: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia; Child patient; During chemotherapy; Fatigue; Influencing factors