Table 1 Subgroup analysis
Variables | Number of studies | Pooled estimates (95% CI) | I2 (%) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sample Size | ||||
≤ 200 | 6 | 0.48 (0.31–0.66) | 88.2% | 0.6507 |
> 200 | 9 | 0.53 (0.37–0.68) | 98.3% | |
Male (%) | ||||
≤ 50 | 5 | 0.44 (0.35–0.54) | 84.9% | 0.4950 |
> 50 | 5 | 0.53 (0.21–0.83) | 98.9% | |
Disease duration (y) | ||||
≤ 8 | 3 | 0.48 (0.37–0.59) | 68.7% | 0.8430 |
> 8 | 3 | 0.51 (0.06–0.95) | 99.1% | |
Fatigue as the study’s primary objective | ||||
Yes | 6 | 0.46 (0.25–0.68) | 98.3% | 0.2682 |
No | 2 | 0.57 (0.06–0.96) | 89.7% | |
Definition of fatigue | ||||
Any fatigue | 6 | 0.58 (0.37–0.76) | 97.3% | 0.2907 |
Significant fatigue | 9 | 0.47 (0.34–0.60) | 97.0% | |
Divergent reporting of fatigue | ||||
Reporting of cutoff scores | 13 | 0.50 (0.38–0.62) | 97.7% | 0.3558 |
No reporting of cutoff scores | 2 | 0.57 (0.06–0.96) | 89.7% | |
Classification criteria use | ||||
Yes | 5 | 0.41 (0.23–0.62) | 95.0% | 0.1032 |
No | 3 | 0.61 (0.22–0.90) | 98.8% | |
Region of the Study | ||||
Western | 10 | 0.58 (0.44–0.70) | 97.4% | 0.0078 |
Eastern | 3 | 0.33 (0.11–0.65) | 94.9% | |
Biologic use | ||||
≤ 40% | 4 | 0.62 (0.39–0.80) | 98.3% | 0.0054 |
> 40% | 4 | 0.36 (0.20–0.56) | 91.0% | |