Tag: fatigue

Tired, weak, or in need of rest: fatigue among general practice attenders

Abstract:

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and associations of symptoms of fatigue.

DESIGN: Questionnaire survey.

SETTING: London general practice.

PARTICIPANTS: 611 General practice attenders.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Scores on a fatigue questionnaire and reasons given for fatigue.

RESULTS: 10.2% Of men (17/167) and 10.6% of women (47/444) had substantial fatigue for one month or more. Age, occupation, and marital status exerted minor effects. Subjects attributed fatigue equally to physical and non-physical causes. Physical ill health, including viral infection, was associated with more severe fatigue. Women rather than men blamed family responsibilities for their fatigue. The profile of persistent fatigue did not differ from that of short duration. Only one person met criteria for the chronic fatigue syndrome.

CONCLUSIONS: Fatigue is a common complaint among general practice attenders and can be severe. Patients may attribute this to physical, psychological, and social stress.

Comment in

Chronic fatigue syndrome. [BMJ. 1991]

Fatigue among general practice attenders. [BMJ. 1991]

 

Source: David A, Pelosi A, McDonald E, Stephens D, Ledger D, Rathbone R, Mann A. Tired, weak, or in need of rest: fatigue among general practice attenders. BMJ. 1990 Nov 24;301(6762):1199-202. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2261560

Note: You can read the full article here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1664364/

 

The frequency of the chronic fatigue syndrome in patients with symptoms of persistent fatigue

Abstract:

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of the chronic fatigue syndrome among patients with symptoms of fatigue.

DESIGN: Prospective, cohort study.

SETTING: Referral clinic, based in a primary care general internal medicine faculty practice of a university medical center.

PATIENTS: Consecutive sample of 135 patients (53 men, 82 women) with 6 months or more of debilitating fatigue.

INTERVENTIONS: All patients had a complete history taken, had a physical examination and a comprehensive battery of blood tests, and were given the Diagnostic Interview Schedule of the National Institute of Mental Health, a highly-structured 260-item instrument designed to enable accurate psychiatric diagnoses. Other diagnostic studies (for example, sleep studies and electroencephalography) were ordered if necessary for individual patients.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Six of the one hundred thirty-five patients met criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome (95% CI, 0 to 10). Ninety-one (67%) patients (CI, 56 to 78) had clinically active psychiatric disorders and 4 (3%) patients (CI, 0 to 8) had medical disorders that were considered a major cause of their fatigue. Thirty-four (25%) patients (CI, 14 to 36) had insufficient symptoms or objective findings of the chronic fatigue syndrome.

CONCLUSION: The chronic fatigue syndrome is rare among patients with symptoms of persistent fatigue. Most of these patients have psychiatric disorders.

 

Source: Manu P, Lane TJ, Matthews DA. The frequency of the chronic fatigue syndrome in patients with symptoms of persistent fatigue. Ann Intern Med. 1988 Oct 1;109(7):554-6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3421564