THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FATIGUE AND MENTAL HEALTH IN CHEMICAL WARFARE VICTIMS WITH BRONCHIOLITIS OBLITERANS

Fatigue is one of the most debilitating symptoms in patients with respiratory
disorders. In addition, among the chronic disease, lung disease have the highest prevalence of mental
disorders. This study was applied to assess the relationship between fatigue and mental health in
chemical victims with bronchiolitis obliterans.
Materials & Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 93 chemical warfare victims with
bronchiolitis obliterans were selected who referred to respiratory clinic of Baqyatallah hospital.
Fatigue and mental health were measured by fatigue severity scale (FSS) and general health
questionnaire (GHQ-12). The collected data were analyzed by using SPSS statically software.
Result: The majority of subjects (80/6%) were suffering from severe fatigue. 77.4% of them did not
have desirable mental health. There was a significant relationship between fatigue and mental health
(p<0.0001).
Conclusion: Fatigue and poor mental health status in the study population suggested more attention to
the methods of controlling these two variables in order to achieve health promotion and to improve
quality of life in chemical warfare victims.