Measurements of Recovery and Predictors of Outcome in an Untreated Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Sample
Journal Title: Journal of Health and Medical Sciences - Year 2019, Vol 2, Issue 2
Abstract
The current study examined a large cohort of untreated Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients at initial assessment and at specific time points over a three-year period. Methods used in previous studies to assess patient health, were validated and used to assess recovery and improvement. Possible predictors of outcome would then be identified by assessing improvements in health status at specific follow-up points. The illness was also assessed in terms of recovery and improvement by using health related and psychosocial measures together with the aetiology of the illness. These were further used to investigate possible mechanisms influencing or predicting recovery or improvement. Two-hundred and twenty-six patients completed wide ranging questionnaires at initial assessment and again six and eighteen months and three years later. A current state of health score was used to measure recovery over time and analyses conducted to investigate the relationship between this and other health related measures. Regression analyses were conducted to assess predictors of improvement and recovery. Spontaneous recovery rates in the untreated patient at three-year follow-up were low (6%). The data suggested, however, that illness length, symptom severity and health status have an important role in recovery. Although there was no evidence to suggest an association between illness onset type and subsequent recovery or psychopathology scores at initial assessment and recovery, regression analyses did indicate that levels of anxiety, cognitive difficulties and social support at initial assessment predict a positive outcome. The state of health measure was validated as a method of accurately assessed the health status of patients and was used as an indicator of improvement and recovery within this group. Spontaneous recovery in the patient group was associated with several factors measured at initial assessment. However, further studies are necessary to more fully identify the factors which affect recovery or improvement and to investigate the exact nature of the mechanisms involved. The present study shows that spontaneous recovery of CFS patients is rare. Treatment or management is essential, and the efficacy of different approaches must be assessed.
Authors and Affiliations
Marie Thomas, Andrew P. Smith
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP599091
- DOI 10.31014/aior.1994.02.02.33
- Views 77
- Downloads 0
Oral Motor Difficulties and Speech Intelligibility in Bangla Speaking Children with Down syndrome
Background: Many children with Down syndrome have low intelligibility due to oral motor problems and some related factors. Purposes: The present study was conducted to find out the oral motor difficulties and speech inte...
Training Intervention on TB Knowledge Among Lesotho Village Health Workers
The role of Village Health Workers (VHW) is to educate communities about tuberculosis (TB) and its causes, conduct TB screening, and directly observe the treatment of TB. The knowledge of TB among VHWs is crucial because...
The Effect of Antenatal and Intrapartum Factors on Episiotomy Wound Dehiscence
Episiotomy is the most common labour ward procedure in obstetrics. Improper healing of the episiotomy wound can lead to prolonged and sometimes serious post-partum morbidity. Also, if infected, they may manifest as a sur...
Child's Eating Behavior: A Difficulty that Needs be Known and Overcome
Eating is one of the priorities of the body to stay alive, it is an instinctive act only in the first weeks of life and that, after that period, should become a learned behavior. During the first thousand days of life th...
Wellbeing at Work and the Lie Scale
This article describes the “Wellbeing Process” model which is based on the Demands-Resources-Individual Effects (DRIVE) approach developed in occupational stress research. This model requires measurement of many variable...