Ramadan Fasting Improves Health‐Related Quality of Life in Patients With Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency: A Prospective Interventional Case‐Control Study
Authors' conclusion
Ramadan fasting improved the quality of life in SAI patients by reducing fatigue, emotional stress, and AI symptoms.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with secondary adrenal insufficiency fasting during Ramadan 2023, Department of Endocrinology, La Rabta University Hospital, Tunisia; 33 women, 17 men; median age 43 years (IQR 34–55); median secondary adrenal insufficiency (SAI) duration 7.5 years; hydrocortisone median 0.24 mg/kg/day
- Participants
- 50 vs 100
- Comparison
- Patients with SAI vs healthy controls during Ramadan fasting
- SAIn = 50
- Controlsn = 100reference
- Outcome
- Quality of life (AddiQoL questionnaire)
- Follow-up
- Before Ramadan and third week of fasting
Methodological detailssingle-centre, age-, sex- and BMI-matched controls
- Single-centre
- Age-, sex- and BMI-matched controls
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Change in global AddiQoL score during fasting · third week of fasting
SAI
8.2%
Controls
0%
P = 0.005
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | SAI | Controls | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Change in AddiQoL fatigue score · during fasting (third week of Ramadan)Improved in patients vs controls | 8% | −1.7% | P = 0.003 |
| Change in AddiQoL emotional sphere score · during fasting (third week of Ramadan)Improved in patients vs controls | 4.2% | 0% | P = 0.009 |
| Change in AddiQoL AI symptoms score · during fasting (third week of Ramadan)Improved in patients vs controls | 9.1% | 0% | P = 0.017 |
| Global AddiQoL score · before RamadanNo significant difference | 89 | 93 | P = 0.196 |
| AddiQoL fatigue score · before RamadanNo significant difference | 24 | 24 | P = 0.354 |
| AddiQoL emotional sphere score · before RamadanNo significant difference | 24 | 25 | P = 0.536 |
- AddiQoL adrenal insufficiency (AI) symptoms score · before Ramadan
- P = 0.021
AddiQoL AI symptoms score · before Ramadan
- AI symptoms score was altered in patients
Original publication
Ramadan Fasting Improves Health‐Related Quality of Life in Patients With Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency: A Prospective Interventional Case‐Control Study. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). Published 2 June 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →