Fatigue Severity Scale

The Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) is meant to evaluate the impact of fatigue on a person’s life. The FSS was developed by Lauren B. Krupps and colleagues in the late 1980s as a tool to assess fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus. The scale is sometimes referred to as the Krupp’s Fatigue Severity Scale in the medical literature. The FSS questionnaire is comprised of nine statements inquiring about the examinee’s sleep habits over the preceding week. Patients are asked to rate their level of agreement (toward seven) or disagreement (toward zero) with the nine statements. In general, a score of 36 and above (out of a maximum of 63) indicates the presence of significant fatigue but average scores are usual much lower. It has been suggested that the FSS is most effective as a measure of disability-related fatigue, that is, fatigue arising from a chronic, debilitating illness. The FSS has become a major tool in studying fatigue in multiple sclerosis—over half of all studies on the topic have used the scale since its inception.

Sleep Disorders

Dyssomnias

Parsomnias