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The validity and reliability of the fatigue syndrome that follows glandular fever

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

P. D. White ,
S. A. Grover ,
H. O. Kangro ,
J. M. Thomas ,
J. Amess  and
A. W. Clare
P. D. White*
Affiliation:
St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College and St George's Medical School, London
S. A. Grover
Affiliation:
St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College and St George's Medical School, London
H. O. Kangro
Affiliation:
St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College and St George's Medical School, London
J. M. Thomas
Affiliation:
St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College and St George's Medical School, London
J. Amess
Affiliation:
St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College and St George's Medical School, London
A. W. Clare
Affiliation:
St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College and St George's Medical School, London
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr Peter D. White, Department of Psychological Medicine, St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College, London, EC1A 7BE.
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Synopsis

The validity and reliability of an empirically defined fatigue syndrome were tested in a prospective cohort study of 245 primary care patients, with glandular fever or an upper respiratory tract infection. Subjects were interviewed three times in the 6 months after onset. Subjects with the empirically defined fatigue syndrome were compared with those who were well and those who had a psychiatric disorder.

The validity of the fatigue syndrome was supported, separate from psychiatric disorders in general and depressive disorders in particular. Only 16% of subjects with the principal component derived fatigue factor also met criteria for a psychiatric disorder (excluding pre-morbid phobias). Compared with subjects with psychiatric disorders, subjects with the operationally defined fatigue syndrome reported more severe physical fatigue, especially after exertion, were just as socially incapacitated, had fewer mental state abnormalities, and showed little overlap on independent questionnaires. A more mild fatigue state also existed. Both the fatigue syndrome and state were more reliable diagnoses over time than depressive disorders. The empirically defined fatigue syndrome probably is a valid and reliable condition in the 6 months following glandular fever.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 25 , Issue 5 , September 1995 , pp. 917 - 924
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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