Tag: neurasthenia

Case of chronic fatigue syndrome after Crimean war and Indian mutiny

Chronic fatigue syndrome was first proposed as a diagnostic label in 1988 to classify a disorder characterised by severe fatigue and exhaustion after minimal physical and mental effort accompanied by other unexplained somatic symptoms.1 It was introduced partly as an acceptable clinical alternative to the term myalgic encephalomyelitis, which described a similar presentation and had been coined in 1956 in the aftermath of an outbreak of illness among the nursing and medical staff of the Royal Free Hospital.2 The condition was widely assumed to be a new addition to the medical scene. In the popular press, and occasionally in the professional publications, attempts have been made to explain chronic fatigue syndrome as a product of the unwelcome features of modern life, such as pollution, stress, working practices, and new infections.

You can read the full article here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1127098/

 

Source: Jones E, Wessely S. Case of chronic fatigue syndrome after Crimean war and Indian mutiny. BMJ. 1999 Dec 18-25;319(7225):1645-7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1127098/ (Full article)

Neurasthenia: cross-cultural and conceptual issues in relation to chronic fatigue syndrome

Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to examine several conceptual and cross-cultural issues in neurasthenia, particularly in terms of their relationship to chronic fatigue syndrome. A review of this relationship led to the conclusion that these conditions are much more alike in Western countries than in countries such as China, where neurasthenia could almost be regarded as a “culture-bound syndrome.” This may be a consequence of factors such as the heterogeneous nature of neurasthenia and different diagnostic practices in different countries, despite the ICD-10 definition of neurasthenia, intended for worldwide use.

Likewise, there is no consensus on what the “core” characteristics of neurasthenia are, because its clinical presentation and key features in different countries are very different. Despite the finding of relatively low comorbidity rates between neurasthenia and other mental disorders, clinical experience suggests that features of neurasthenia frequently overlap with those of depression, chronic anxiety, and somatoform disorders.

There is no convincing evidence that in cases of overlap or comorbidity, other diagnoses should automatically have “primacy” over neurasthenia nor should the diagnosis of neurasthenia thereby be excluded. Although some aspects of its validity have improved recently, especially its descriptive validity, the overall validity of the diagnosis of neurasthenia is still not satisfactory. Suggestions for further research, aimed at improving the diagnostic validity of neurasthenia, are offered in this paper.

 

Source: Starcevic V. Neurasthenia: cross-cultural and conceptual issues in relation to chronic fatigue syndrome. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 1999 Jul-Aug;21(4):249-55. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10514948

 

The chronic fatigue and neurasthenia in the student population

Abstract:

INTRODUCTION: Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms in community studies, primary care and other medical setting. In spite of a high frequency of fatigue, the incidence of chronic fatigue syndrome is very low. In this paper, we want to know the frequency of chronic fatigue syndrome and neurasthenia; we want to know the association between fatigue and depressive symptoms in students.

METHODS: We studied 277 medical student, administering: 1. a center for disease control questionnaire to assess major criteria and minor criteria of chronic fatigue syndrome, 2. ICD 10 criteria for the diagnoses of neurasthenia and 3. Beck depression inventory.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: We found that the 37,55% of the subjects suffer fatigue. 9 subjects (3,25% of the total) meet the criteria of neurasthenia. 2 subjects (0,72% of the total) meet the chronic fatigue syndrome criteria. The depressive symptoms are most frequent in the subjects with fatigue, but we don’t know if they are the cause or the consequence of the fatigue. With the factorial analyses, we find that symptoms of physical fatigue, mental fatigue and cognitive difficulties are factor independent of each other.

 

Source: Mojarro Práxedes MD, Benjumea Pino P. The chronic fatigue and neurasthenia in the student population. Actas Esp Psiquiatr. 1999 Jan-Feb;27(1):14-21. [Article in Spanish] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10380143

 

Basal activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome (neurasthenia)

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Impairments in both basal activity and activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary- adrenal axis (HPA) have been reported in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS; neurasthenia). We sought to replicate these findings and examined basal activity of the HPA in a carefully selected sample of patients with CFS.

METHODS: Basal activity of the HPA was assessed using salivary and urinary cortisol collection over a 24-hour period in 22 (12 male; 10 female) patients meeting criteria for CFS and appropriate controls.

RESULTS: Salivary and urinary cortisol measures did not differ between CFS patients and controls.

CONCLUSIONS: Basal activity of the HPA was not reduced in CFS patients. Reasons for the failure to replicate previous findings are discussed.

 

Source: Young AH, Sharpe M, Clements A, Dowling B, Hawton KE, Cowen PJ. Basal activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome (neurasthenia). Biol Psychiatry. 1998 Feb 1;43(3):236-7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9494707

 

Do patients with “pure” chronic fatigue syndrome (neurasthenia) have abnormal sleep?

Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether patients with “pure” chronic fatigue syndrome (neurasthenia) have sleep abnormalities which may contribute to subjective measures of daytime fatigue.

METHOD: Sleep characteristics of 20 patients meeting research criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) but not depression, anxiety, or sleep disorder were compared with sleep characteristics of 20 healthy subjects matched for age and sex. Measures of sleep included a) subjective interview reports and sleep diaries and b) home-based polysomnography.

RESULTS: Patients with CFS complained of poor quality unrefreshing sleep. They also napped during the day. Polysomnograph data showed no difference in actual nocturnal sleep time between the two groups although patients with CFS spent significantly longer in bed (p < .01), slept less efficiently (p < .03), and spent longer awake after sleep onset (p < .05). The polysomnographs of seven patients with CFS and one healthy subject were regarded as significantly abnormal. Five patients and one healthy subject had difficulty maintaining sleep. One patient had a disorder of both initiating and maintaining sleep and one patient woke early.

CONCLUSIONS: Patients with “pure” CFS complain of unrefreshing sleep but only a minority have a clearly abnormal polysomnograph. The most common abnormality is of long periods spent awake after initial sleep onset. Although sleep abnormalities may play a role in the etiology of CFS, they seem to be unlikely to be an important cause of daytime fatigue in the majority of patients. However, pharmacological and behavioral methods that improve sleep quality may be an important component of a pragmatically based treatment package for patients who do have abnormal sleep.

 

Source: Sharpley A, Clements A, Hawton K, Sharpe M. Do patients with “pure” chronic fatigue syndrome (neurasthenia) have abnormal sleep? Psychosom Med. 1997 Nov-Dec;59(6):592-6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9407577

 

A population-based incidence study of chronic fatigue

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Most research on syndromes of chronic fatigue has been conducted in clinical settings and is therefore subject to selection biases. We report a population-based incidence study of chronic fatigue (CF) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

METHODS: Questionnaires assessing fatigue and emotional morbidity were sent to 695 adult men and women who had replied to a postal questionnaire survey 1 year earlier. Possible CFS cases, subjects with probable psychiatric disorder and normal controls were interviewed.

RESULTS: Baseline fatigue score, the level of emotional morbidity and a physical attribution for fatigue were risk factors for developing CF. However, after adjusting for confounding, premorbid fatigue score was the only significant predictor. A minority of CF subjects, all female, had consulted their general practitioner; higher levels of both fatigue and emotional morbidity were associated with consultation. Possible CFS cases reported similar rates of current and past psychiatric disorder to psychiatric controls, but after controlling for fatigue or a diagnosis of neurasthenia the current rates were more similar to those of normal controls. Two new cases of CFS were confirmed.

CONCLUSIONS: Both fatigue and emotional morbidity are integral components of chronic fatigue syndromes. The demographic and psychiatric associations of CFS in clinical studies are at least partly determined by selection biases. Given that triggering and perpetuating factors may differ in CFS, studies that examine the similarities and differences between chronic fatigue syndromes and psychiatric disorder should consider both the stage of the illness and the research setting.

 

Source: Lawrie SM, Manders DN, Geddes JR, Pelosi AJ. A population-based incidence study of chronic fatigue. Psychol Med. 1997 Mar;27(2):343-53. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9089827

 

Chronic fatigue syndrome

Abstract:

Fatigue is one of the most common medical complaints. Sometimes, fatigue is chronic, unexplained and induces significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning. This condition was described as neurasthenia by Beard at the end of the 19th Century; more recently the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggested to call it “Chronic Fatigue Syndrome” (SFC). Both are considered as physical diseases and share certain therapeutic measures. Pathophysiology is still unknown and may involve viral agents, immunological processes or psychiatric disorders. Similarly most of the treatments which have been properly evaluated seem to be more or less inefficacious.

 

Source: Rouillon F, Delhommeau L, Vinceneux P. Chronic fatigue syndrome. Presse Med. 1996 Dec 21;25(40):2031-6. [Article in French] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9082378

 

Expert assessment of chronic fatigue syndrome

Abstract:

The Chronic-Fatigue-Syndrome (CFS) has been first described in 1988 and has been also in Germany recently more frequently diagnosed. It is similar to a lot of other terms, especially to “neurasthenia”, which has been introduced 1869 from Beard and is now again content of ICD-10. CFS is defined by primary and secondary criteria, which are however largely subjective. There are no objective signs. It is unknown if this syndrome represents a disease entity of its own. The explanation is either exclusive organic based on immunological and virological findings or exclusive psychogenic as a special form of anxiety psychosis. Possibly are both factors involved as part of “psycho-neuro-immunology”. CFS is increased subject of medical certification. It has been tried to give a practical guidance to the assessment of CFS.

 

Source: Hausotter W. Expert assessment of chronic fatigue syndrome. Versicherungsmedizin. 1996 Apr 1;48(2):57-9. [Article in German] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8659055

 

Neuraesthenia revisited: ICD-10 and DSM-III-R psychiatric syndromes in chronic fatigue patients and comparison subjects

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Different definitions of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have different psychiatric exclusion criteria and this affects the type and frequency of associated psychiatric morbidity found. The operational criteria for neuraesthenia in ICD-10 vary in this and other respects from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria for CFS. Neuraesthenia and associated psychiatric morbidity in CDC-defined CFS are evaluated.

METHOD: CFS subjects and controls were interviewed with the Schedule for the Clinical Assessment of Neuropsychiatry (SCAN). The computerised scoring program for SCAN (CATEGO5) facilitates the assignment of operational definitions according to DSM-III-R and ICD-10. Subjects were re-interviewed with SCAN an average of 11 months later. No specific treatments or interventions were given during this period.

RESULTS: The majority of subjects fulfilled ICD-10 operational criteria for neuraesthenia and had two and a half times the rate of psychiatric morbidity as the healthy comparison group according to the CATEGO5 Index of Definition (ID). Approximately 80% of subjects fulfilled both DSM-III-R and ICD-10 criteria for sleep disorders. There was a significant fall in the number of subjects fulfilling criteria for depression and anxiety disorders and a significant increase in the number of subjects with no diagnosis for DSM-III-R criteria over time. There were no significant changes over time for any diagnosis according to ICD-10 criteria or for overall levels of psychopathology as reflected in CATEGO5 ID levels.

CONCLUSIONS: The ICD-10 ‘neuraesthenia’ definition identifies almost all subjects with CDC-defined CFS. Fifty percent of CFS subjects also had depressive or anxiety disorders, some categories of which remit spontaneously over time.

 

Source: Farmer A, Jones I, Hillier J, Llewelyn M, Borysiewicz L, Smith A. Neuraesthenia revisited: ICD-10 and DSM-III-R psychiatric syndromes in chronic fatigue patients and comparison subjects. Br J Psychiatry. 1995 Oct;167(4):503-6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8829720

 

Chronic fatigue syndrome. Clinical, social psychological problems and management

Abstract:

Fatigue chronic syndrome (SFC) is the heir-at-law of neurasthenia. Both are seen like physical diseases and share certain therapeutic measures, such as sleep; they have the same symbolic function and enable patients as well as doctors reluctant to psychological dimensions of pathology, to get and express sympathy and attention. A strong controversy developed these last years concerning the SFC physiopathology particularly concerning the responsibility of viral infectious agents or psychiatric troubles.

The SFC fatigue is unlikely hysterical or neuromuscular but it probably depends on several associated factors; cerebral neurobiochemistry anomalies (possibly induced by an infection or immune reactions), effort perception trouble, affective trouble, lack of physical activity. The handicap seems to be worse on account of unsuitable care and inefficacious treatment. Especially sleep, which is often beneficial in a short term, is source of ulterior chronicisation. Antidepressants are the only justified pharmacological treatment for SFC at the moment. Referring to the existence and the nature of cognitive distortions, the author suggests a cognitive-behavioural therapy, whose aim is a progressive activity resumption.

 

Source: Wessely S. Chronic fatigue syndrome. Clinical, social psychological problems and management. Encephale. 1994 Nov;20 Spec No 3:581-95. [Article in French] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7843055