Background<\/strong>: Epidemiologic data that inform our understanding of the type, frequency, and burden of co-morbidities with chronic fatigue syndrome is limited.<\/p>\n Purpose:<\/strong> To elucidate co-morbid and consequent conditions, using data from a clinical epidemiology study of long-term CFS patients.<\/p>\n Methods:<\/strong> Some 960 adults with CFS were identified at four sites specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of CFS. Patients reported their demographics, CFS course, other medical diagnoses, and current functioning.<\/p>\n We determined associations between: co-morbidities and a patient’s current health relative to their health when diagnosed with CFS; CFS symptom severity at onset and subsequent diagnosis with a co-morbid condition; and presence of a co-morbidity and functional ability. We also modeled the change in CFS symptom severity over time as it relates to the presence of a co-morbidity.<\/p>\n Results:<\/strong> Of the sample, 84% was diagnosed with one or more co-morbid conditions after CFS onset. Fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, and hypothyroidism were the most common diagnoses. Nearly 60% of the sample reported a mental illness.<\/p>\n Conclusions:<\/strong> In general, co-morbid conditions reduced functional ability and were associated with the worsening of CFS symptoms over time. This study provides important new information on the prevalence of co-morbid conditions and their impact on the course of CFS.<\/p>\n Chronic fatigue syndrome and co-morbid and consequent conditions: evidence from a multi-site clinical epidemiology study<\/a>, by\u00a0Lucinda Bateman, Salima Darakjy, Nancy Klimas, Daniel Peterson, Susan M. Levine, Ali Allen, Shane A. Carlson, Elizabeth Balbing, Gunnar Gottschalke & Dana March in<\/span> Fatigue: Biomedicine, Health & Behavior,<\/em> Vol 3,\u00a0 Issue 1, 2015 [Published online: 06 Dec 2014]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Research abstract Background: Epidemiologic data that inform our understanding of the type, frequency, and burden of co-morbidities with chronic fatigue syndrome is limited. Purpose: To elucidate co-morbid and consequent conditions, using data from a clinical epidemiology study of long-term CFS … Continue reading