Population based study of fatigue and psychological distress

Abstract:

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of fatigue in the general population and the factors associated with fatigue.

DESIGN: Postal survey.

SETTING: Six general practices in southern England.

SUBJECTS: 31,651 men and women aged 18-45 years registered with the practices.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Responses to the 12 item general health questionnaire and a fatigue questionnaire which included self reported measures of duration, severity, and causes of fatigue.

RESULTS: 15,283 valid questionnaires were returned, giving a response rate of 48.3%, (64% after adjustment for inaccuracies in the practice registers). 2798 (18.3%) of respondents reported substantial fatigue lasting six months or longer. Fatigue and psychological morbidity were moderately correlated (r = 0.62). Women were more likely to complain of fatigue than men, even after adjustment for psychological distress. The commonest cited reasons for fatigue were psychosocial (40% of patients). Of 2798 patients with excessive tiredness, only 38 (1.4%) attributed this to the chronic fatigue syndrome.

CONCLUSION: Fatigue is distributed as a continuous variable in the community and is closely associated with psychological morbidity.

Comment in:

Patients with a self diagnosis of myalgic encephalomyelitis. [BMJ. 1995]

Twists in the tale of impossible means. The reviewer shows that the gremlins might have attacked on several fronts. [BMJ. 2000]

Twists in the tale of impossible means. In which a copy of the original manuscript is found safe in Norway. [BMJ. 2000]

Fatigue and psychological distress. Statistics are improbable. [BMJ. 2000]

 

Source: Pawlikowska T, Chalder T, Hirsch SR, Wallace P, Wright DJ, Wessely SC. Population based study of fatigue and psychological distress. BMJ. 1994 Mar 19;308(6931):763-6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2539651/

You can read the full article here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2539651/pdf/bmj00432-0041.pdf

 

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