Hand fatigability, self-reported fatigue, and functionality in individuals with multiple sclerosis: A cross-sectional study

•Individuals with RRMS have fatigability in tasks that require repeated and sustained contractions of the hand from the early-stage.•Fatigability during pinch gripping is related to the severity and impact of self-reported fatigue.•Fatigability is associated with a decrease in dexterity and critical in maintaining activities of daily living.•Fifteen maximum contractions are not sufficient to show objective fatigability with the Dynamic Fatigue Index.•Clarifying the relationship of both fatigability and self-reported fatigue to functioning will allow clinicians to plan more appropriate and directed treatment approaches. The individual experience of fatigue and fatigability in individuals with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can vary greatly, beyond the high prevalence of fatigue in MS. Although fatigue is known as a common symptom that affects and potentially limits individuals with MS, it has recently been determined that fatigability also causes consequences that limit individuals’ daily lives. The purpose of this study was to compare the associations between self-reported levels of fatigue, measured fatigability, and estimates of functional capacity in people with MS and sex- and age-matched healthy individuals. Twenty-three individuals with Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS) diagnosis and 23 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals were included in the study. To examine the fatigability level Dynamic and Static Fatigue Index were used for gross and pinch-grip, and manual dexterity and functionality levels the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA), Nine Hole Peg Test (NHPT), and Dexterity Questionnaire-24 (DextQ-24) were used. While the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and Fatigue Impact Scale (FIS) were used to examine self-reported fatigue, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to assess emotional status. There was no difference between RRMS and healthy individuals in terms of fatigability levels (p > 0.05). While the relationship between Static and Dynamic Fatigue Index gross grip fatigability and FSS and FIS was not found to be statistically significant, the relationship between non-dominant side pinch grip Static Fatigue Index and FSS and FIS was significant. In addition, the relationship between the non-dominant side gross grip Static Fatigue Index and the DextQ-24 dressing and daily activities subsections, and the dominant side pinch grip Dynamic Fatigue Index and the television/compact disk/digital video disk subsection of DextQ-24 was signi