The effectiveness of magnetic field therapy on fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis-a randomized, single-blind clinical trial: a brief report

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS), as an inflammatory autoimmune disease and chronic degenerative central nervous system degeneration, often occurs in early adulthood. One of the common and debilitating symptoms of this disease is fatigue, which can affect up to 80% of patients with MS. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of magnetic field therapy on fatigue in patients with MS. Methods: Present study is a single-blind randomized clinical trial (RCT) that Was conducted on patients with multiple sclerosis from March 2019 to September 2021. In this study, 46 patients who met our inclusion criteria were divided into two groups randomly: magnetotherapy intervention and control group. The intervention was performed in the form of a pulsed magnetic field with a frequency of 15 Hz and an intensity of 4.5 Millie Tesla. In order to blind patients, they were unaware of the intervention or control group, and the technician in charge of the treatment and the statistician knew about it. Data were then collected and recorded using the Fatigue Severity Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire, and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale Questionnaire. Results: Of the 46 patients studied, 22 (48%) were male and the rest of them were female [24 cases (52%)]. The mean age of men and women was 34.4±7.3 and 33.5±1.7 years, respectively. Among the intervention and control groups, 8 people took amantadine equally in each group. In the magneto-therapy intervention group, the mean severity of fatigue reduced from 4.91±0.86 to 4.27±1.10, which was significant (p=0.024). In our control group, the mean intensity of fatigue reduced from 4.83±0.83 to 4.37±0.81, which was significant statistically (p=0.028). Although, the difference between the response of the two groups to treatment was not significant (p=0.382). Conclusion: Due to the lack of significant differences in the reduction of fatigue severity, this treatment is not recommended for the treatment and management of fatigue in patients with MS.