The validity and reliability of the fatigue syndrome that follows glandular fever

The validity and reliability of an empirically defined fatigue syndrome were tested in a prospective cohort study of 245 primary care patients, with glandular fever or an upper respiratory tract infection. Subjects were interviewed three times in the 6 months after onset. Subjects with the empirical...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological medicine 1995-09, Vol.25 (5), p.917-924
Main Authors: White, P. D., Grover, S. A., Kangro, H. O., Thomas, J. M., Amess, J., Clare, A. W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Cohort Studies
Depressive Disorder - diagnosis
Depressive Disorder - psychology
Diagnosis, Differential
Diseases of the osteoarticular system
Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic - diagnosis
Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic - etiology
Glandular fever
Humans
Infectious Mononucleosis - complications
Medical sciences
Miscellaneous. Osteoarticular involvement in other diseases
Original Articles
Patients
Prospective Studies
Psychomotor Disorders
Reproducibility of Results
Respiratory Tract Infections - complications
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Summary:The validity and reliability of an empirically defined fatigue syndrome were tested in a prospective cohort study of 245 primary care patients, with glandular fever or an upper respiratory tract infection. Subjects were interviewed three times in the 6 months after onset. Subjects with the empirically defined fatigue syndrome were compared with those who were well and those who had a psychiatric disorder. The validity of the fatigue syndrome was supported, separate from psychiatric disorders in general and depressive disorders in particular. Only 16% of subjects with the principal component derived fatigue factor also met criteria for a psychiatric disorder (excluding pre-morbid phobias). Compared with subjects with psychiatric disorders, subjects with the operationally defined fatigue syndrome reported more severe physical fatigue, especially after exertion, were just as socially incapacitated, had fewer mental state abnormalities, and showed little overlap on independent questionnaires. A more mild fatigue state also existed. Both the fatigue syndrome and state were more reliable diagnoses over time than depressive disorders. The empirically defined fatigue syndrome probably is a valid and reliable condition in the 6 months following glandular fever.
ISSN:0033-2917
1469-8978
DOI:10.1017/S0033291700037405