Journal of IiME Volume 4 Issue 1 www.investinme.org Definition of Recovery in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (continued) on the symptoms of the first 100 patients, diagnostic criteria were published(1), but with the publication of the Holmes criteria(2), it became clear that this cluster was the same as what was being termed chronic fatigue syndrome. The children involved in this outbreak were a subject of particular attention. Of interest, the proportion of ill children to adults was similar to that of other community-wide epidemics described previously(3, 4). Because adolescents have lower Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) seropositivity, it was possible to eliminate EBV as the cause of this outbreak(5), a hypothesis prevalent at the time. Seventy-five percent of the children ill in this outbreak met criteria for fibromyalgia syndrome(6). This cohort of children and adolescents with ME/CFS has now been followed clinically for twentyfive years. Four subjects have developed malignancy, and many have tested positive to the gammaretrovirus XMRV, a subject to be described in detail in subsequent studies. In 1995 a follow-up study was published(7) which demonstrated that 80% of those children and adolescents who became ill in 1985 considered themselves "well". However of those 80%, half were doing well despite ongoing somatic symptoms, while the other half had minimal or no somatic symptoms. Twenty percent of the subjects in that study were very ill and disabled. A full study detailing the current health status will be presented under separate cover. In the course of clinical practice and primary care, many of these persons have stated that they have "recovered" or "nearly recovered". However, they continue to present with symptoms suggestive of ME/CFS. The definition of recovery has been difficult to address because of the non-specificity of the symptoms. Current criteria for the diagnosis of CFS, the CDC empirical case definition(8) has one section that specifies degree of disability based upon the Medical Outcomes Survey Short Form-36(9). It has been noted that patients who report themselves "recovered" or "nearly recovered" may have low scores on this instrument. The present study was undertaken to further examine this aspect of the definition of recovery in CFS. The current study was stimulated by CFS patients who have stated that they are "recovered", yet on clinical evaluation and questionnaire are demonstrated to have persistent symptoms. Methods - Subjects Ten adults followed clinically for many years with CFS had stated that they had either "recovered" or "almost recovered." To assess the degree of Invest in ME (Charity Nr. 1114035) recovery, questionnaires were administered to assess the current severity of somatic symptoms and orthostatic intolerance. Institutional Review Board approval was obtained through the Medina Memorial Hospital Ethics Committee, and all subjects signed informed consent prior to questionnaire administration. No subject in this study had developed malignancy nor alternative causes for fatigue over the twenty-five years since being diagnosed with ME/CFS. Ten healthy adults also completed the same questionnaires. Methods - Instruments: a) Hours of Activity Scale: This scale is a measure of orthostatic intolerance; it asks the subject to estimate the average total number of hours of "upright activity within an average 24 hour day." Healthy subjects consistently describe more than 12 hours of upright activity in a day. Severe CFS patients experience 2 or less hours per day, moderate CFS experience 3 to 7 hours, and mild CFS have 8 to 10 hours of upright activity within a 24 hour period (unpublished observations). b) Visual Analog Scale of 9 Symptoms. This self-rated severity scale from 0 (no symptom) to 10 (very severe symptom) measures fatigue, sore throat, lymph node pain, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, sleep disturbance, memory and cognitive symptoms, and post-exertional malaise, all common symptoms of ME/CFS. c) Fisk Fatigue Impact Scale (FIS) (10). This instrument is scored from 0 (no impact) to 4 (severe impact) for each of sixty questions. It is designed to assess the impact that fatigue has on daily activity. The maximum score is 160. d) Bell Activity Scale (11, 12). This scale combines somatic symptoms with activity restriction. Persons score themselves from 0 (bed bound with very severe symptoms, requiring assistance for daily living) to 100 (full and vigorous activity with no significant symptoms). This is a simple and rapid assessment of ME/CFS severity for use at clinic visits (unpublished observations). A copy of this one page questionnaire is attached as an appendix and may be freely used. e) Short Form-36 (9). Also called the Rand-36, this thirty-six item questionnaire has extensive use in evaluating general health and health perceptions in CFS(13, 14). It is also used to help determine diagnosis in the most recent CDC empiric criteria (8). Page 24/56
25 Publizr Home