Key result
Corrected congenital heart disease in adolescents is linked to a ~6-point reduction in chronic fatigue.
Why the study?
Fatigue is a common complaint in adolescence, but its determinants in congenital heart disease compared to psychosocial factors are poorly understood.
Does corrected congenital heart disease increase fatigue severity compared to healthy peers in adolescents?
Cross-Sectional (n=229)
No
Does corrected congenital heart disease increase fatigue severity compared to healthy peers in adolescents?
Mean Difference: -6.12 (95% CI -10.53–-1.72)
Absolute Event Rate: 15% vs 20%
p-value: p=0.006
Fatigue in corrected CHD adolescents warrants evaluation beyond cardiac severity; leaves open multifactorial roles for sex and psychosocial context.
Background: Fatigue is a prevalent clinical complaint in adolescence, but its determinants—particularly in congenital heart disease (CHD)—remain poorly understood. Objective: This study aimed to compare the severity and multidimensional profile of fatigue symptoms between adolescents with corrected CHD and school-based peers without reported chronic disease, and to evaluate the independent contributions of cardiac severity indices, echocardiographic parameters, and physical work capacity to fatigue severity. Methods: In a cross-sectional comparative study, 229 adolescents (11–17 years), including 154 with corrected CHD (simple, moderate, complex defects) and 75 controls, completed the validated Russian “Degree of Chronic Fatigue” questionnaire. All CHD patients underwent echocardiography (left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), valvular gradients, and regurgitation grades) and bicycle ergometry (W/kg). Between-group differences were analyzed using nonparametric tests, false discovery rate (FDR) correction, multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), and linear regression with heteroscedasticity-consistent (HC3) robust standard errors. Null results were verified by post-hoc power analysis, Bayesian model comparison, equivalence testing. Results: The CHD group reported significantly lower fatigue on four of five domains compared with controls recruited from an academically selective school. Within the CHD cohort, neither CHD complexity, the New York Heart Association (NYHA) class, heart failure stage, nor any echocardiographic parameter correlated with fatigue. Physical work capacity showed only a weak association that did not survive multiple-testing correction. Female sex was the most consistent predictor of higher fatigue across both groups. Conclusions: Cardiac disease severity did not predict fatigue in this cohort. Fatigue appears multifactorial, with sex, functional capacity, and psychosocial context potentially playing greater roles than cardiac anatomy alone. The unexpectedly high fatigue in controls from a highly selective school limits generalizability. Replication in representative samples is needed. Keywords Chronic fatigue; congenital heart defects; chronic disease; transdiagnostic; adolescents Cite This Article APA Style Likhomanova, E., Shevaldova, O., Kovaleva, A., Zavarina, A. (2026). Chronic Fatigue in Adolescents: The Role of Congenital Heart Disease vs. Psychosocial Factors. Structural and Congenital Heart Disease , 21 (4) , 7. https://doi.org/10.32604/schd.2026.079461 Vancouver Style Likhomanova E, Shevaldova O, Kovaleva A, Zavarina A. Chronic Fatigue in Adolescents: The Role of Congenital Heart Disease vs. Psychosocial Factors. Structural Congenital Heart Disease. 2026;21(4):7. https://doi.org/10.32604/schd.2026.079461 IEEE Style E. Likhomanova, O. Shevaldova, A. Kovaleva, and A. Zavarina, “Chronic Fatigue in Adolescents: The Role of Congenital Heart Disease vs. Psychosocial Factors,” Structural Congenital Heart Disease , vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 7, 2026. https://doi.org/10.32604/schd.2026.079461 BibTex EndNote RIS
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Likhomanova et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Congenital Heart Disease (n=229). Congenital Heart Disease vs. Healthy school-based controls was evaluated on Chronic Fatigue Index (CFI) score (MD -6.12, 95% CI -10.53 to -1.72, p=0.006). Adolescents with corrected congenital heart disease reported significantly lower chronic fatigue scores compared to healthy school-based controls (adjusted mean difference -6.12).
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