Table 4

Patient-nominated Physical Complaints During and After Grade 4 Episodes of Chemotherapy-induced Neutropenia

Patient-nominated Physical Complaint

Frequency Per Interview (N = 100) n (%)

Frequency Per Patient (N = 34) n (%)

Tired, fatigued, exhausted, weak, feeling "drained"

69 (69%)

31 (91%)

Sleep interruption (eg, onset insomnia, waking)

19 (19%)

14 (41%)

Muscle aches, feeling achy, swollen joints

16 (16%)

13 (38%)

Pain

15 (15%)

10 (29%)

Cough, sore throat, mucous in throat, problems swallowing

10 (10%)

8 (24%)

Reduced sexual activity (eg, too tired for sex)

9 (9%)

6 (18%)

Change in taste of foods

7 (7%)

6 (18%)

Decreased appetite

7 (7%)

7 (21%)

Diarrhea

7 (7%)

6 (18%)

Stomach upset, cramping

7 (7%)

7 (21%)

Mouth Sores

6 (6%)

6 (18%)

Nausea

5 (5%)

5 (15%)

Skin problems (rash, skin breaking out, dry skin)

5 (5%)

3 (9%)

Note: Thirty-four patients completed 100 interviews with each patient contributing between 1 and 4 interviews. To be included in the table, the complaint had to have been nominated within at least 5% of the interviews.

Fortner et al. BMC Nursing 2005 4:4   doi:10.1186/1472-6955-4-4