Dry eye syndrome and the subsequent risk of chronic fatigue syndrome—a prospective population-based study in Taiwan, by Chih-Sheng Chen, Hui-Man Cheng, Hsuan-Ju Chen, Shin-Yi Tsai, Chia-Hung Kao, Hui-Ju Lin, Lei Wan, and Tse-Yen Yang in Oncotarget 2018 Jul 17; 9(55): 30694–30703 [Published online 2018 Jul 17]
Research abstract:
Background and Aim
The clinical association between dry eye syndrome (DES) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) remain unclear with less evidences. We aimed to investigate the relationship between CFS and DES using a national insurance and prospective cohort study.
Methods
Data from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 was applied to estimate the incidence of CFS among patients with DES, and their age- and sex-matched controls without DES over a long-term follow-up period. All participants were CFS free at baseline, before the interval (2005–2007), but were later diagnosed with CFS. DES patients and its relative matched controls were excluded prevalent CFS before the same interval.
Results
We identified 884 patients with DES and 3,536 matched controls in baseline and estimated the hazard ratios for incident CFS in the follow-up period. Patients with DES had a 2.08-fold considerably increasing risk of developing CFS, compared to non-DES group. An elevated risk of developing CFS remained (1.61-fold risk) even after adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities.
There was a presence of increasing risk in DES-related CFS when CFS-related comorbidities existing (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.98, 95% confidence interval, 1.19–3.29; p < 0.01). The subsequent risk for CFS between DES and non-DES patients was significant increased with three or more annual medical visits, the adjusted risk for CFS was 4.88-fold risk (95% CI, 2.26–10.58, p < 0.001).
Conclusion
We recommended that physicians should be aware of the increased risk of CFS among DES patients and adequately assess the health impacts among these patients.
Keywords: fatigue, dry eye syndrome, national health insurance research database (NHIRD), prospective cohort study
Dr Charles Shepherd gives more information: Dry eye symptoms and M.E
Excerpt:
Having a persistent problem with dry eyes should always prompt a visit to either your doctor or optician – just to make sure that it is not linked to either eye disease or another medical condition.
As far as treatment is concerned, it is usually pretty straightforward.
You can purchase what are called artificial tears in the form of drops, lubricants or ointment from a pharmacy or on prescription from your GP.
These can all be very helpful, providing immediate lubrication and relief – although they may need to be used for some time, even indefinitely.
