Fatigue Severity Scale

What it measures

Measures the severity of fatigue and its impact on daily functioning across nine statements about how fatigue interferes with motivation, exercise, work, family duties, and social activities. Fatigue is among the most common and disabling symptoms across neurological, rheumatological, oncological, and psychiatric conditions, yet is frequently under-assessed. The FSS was developed and validated in multiple sclerosis and lupus but has since been applied across ME/CFS, cancer, depression, COVID-19 long-haul, and many other conditions. Its unidimensional brevity makes it the most widely used fatigue impact measure in clinical research worldwide.

Representative items

• My motivation is lower when I am fatigued.
• Exercise brings on my fatigue.
• I am easily fatigued.
• Fatigue interferes with my physical functioning.
• Fatigue causes frequent problems for me.

Citation

Krupp, L.B., LaRocca, N.G., Muir-Nash, J., & Steinberg, A.D. (1989). The fatigue severity scale: Application to patients with multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Archives of Neurology, 46(10), 1121–1123.