Fatigue is one of the most disabling symptoms experienced by people with COPD, yet it often receives less attention than dyspnoea in clinical care. This thesis shows that severe fatigue is common and cannot be explained by lung disease severity alone. Physical, psychological, and behavioural factors all contribute to persistent fatigue. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the research was expanded to investigate fatigue after COVID-19. The findings show that a large number of individuals continue to experience severe fatigue for at least one year after infection, regardless of the severity of their acute illness or whether they were hospitalized. Together, these results demonstrate that persistent fatigue is a complex health problem requiring a broader, person-centered approach. Better recognition of fatigue may help improve care and quality of life for people with chronic respiratory conditions.
After completing her degree in Psychology, Zjala Ebadi started her PhD research at the Departments of Medical Psychology and Pulmonary Diseases of Radboud university medical center. She currently works as a psychologist in elderly care and is training to become a healthcare psychologist (GZ-psycholoog).