Etiology of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Testing Popular Hypotheses Using a National Birth Cohort Study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19306034 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Samuel B Harvey (0000-0001-9580-3743, King's College London, corresponding author), Michael Wadsworth (University College London), Simon Wessely (0000-0002-6743-9929, NIHR Maudsley Dementia Biomedical Research Unit), Matthew Hotopf (0000-0002-3980-4466, King's College London) |
| Year | 2008 |
| Volume | 70 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 488-495 |
| Publication date | 2008-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Psychosomatic Medicine (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0033-3174 • E-ISSN: 1534-7796 |
| Publisher | Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1097/psy.0b013e31816a8dbc |
| PMID | 18378866 |
| OpenAlex | W2126177726 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 39 |
OBJECTIVE: To review the etiology of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and test hypotheses relating to immune system dysfunction, physical deconditioning, exercise avoidance, and childhood illness experiences, using a large prospective birth cohort. METHODS: A total of 4779 participants from the Medical Research Council's National Survey of Health and Development were prospectively followed for the first 53 years of their life with >20 separate data collections. Information was collected on childhood and parental health, atopic illness, levels of physical activity, fatigue, and participant's weight and height at multiple time points. CFS was identified through self-report during a semistructured interview at age 53 years with additional case notes review. RESULTS: Of 2983 participants assessed at age 53 years, 34 (1.1%, 95% Confidence Interval 0.8-1.5) reported a diagnosis of CFS. Those who reported CFS were no more likely to have suffered from childhood illness or atopy. Increased levels of exercise throughout childhood and early adult life and a lower body mass index were associated with an increased risk of later CFS. Participants who later reported CFS continued to exercise more frequently even after they began to experience early symptoms of fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals who exercise frequently are more likely to report a diagnosis of CFS in later life. This may be due to the direct effects of this behavior or associated personality factors. Continuing to be active despite increasing fatigue may be a crucial step in the development of CFS
Body mass index · Chronic fatigue · Chronic fatigue syndrome · Cohort · Cohort study · Etiology · Physical therapy · Prospective cohort study · Psychiatry · Exercise and Physiological Responses · Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Tryptophan and brain disorders · Pediatrics
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.13 |
| Citation span | 2011 - 2013 (3) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |