Background: Complaints of fatigue are common almost all chronic illnesses, especially prevalent in pain disorders such as fibromyalgia syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis.

Objective: This study was conducted for the purpose of determining fatigue in individuals with arthritis.

Method: Data had obtained from 250 arthritis patients at Physiotherapy and Immunology policlinics and clinics of Atatürk University Hospital in Turkey between May and July 2005. As the data gathering tools, a questionnaire form and Visual Analogue Scale for Fatigue (VAS-F) were used.

Results: Internal consistency for VAS-F was good for arthritis individuals. Cronbach's alpha of fatigue subscale was 0.87 and energy subscale was 0.84. Statistically significant differences were found between fatigue and energy subscales and socio-demographic variables. These differences were identified between the VAS-F point averages and female, older, widowed, literate, more income, carrying on with special exercise programs.

Conclusion: Fatigue levels of individuals with arthritis was found to be high. This study had determined socio-demographic variables associated with the fatigue.