Susan Torres-Harding

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The Need for Subtypes

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is an important condition confronting patients, clinicians, and researchers. This article provides information concerning the need for appropriate diagnosis of CFS subtypes. We first review findings suggesting that CFS is best conceptualized as a separate diagnostic entity rather than as part of a unitary model of functional somatic distress. Next, research involving the case definitions of CFS is reviewed. Findings suggest that whether a broad or more conservative case definition is employed, and whether clinic or community samples are recruited, these decisions will have a major influence in the types of patients selected. Review of further findings suggests that subtyping individuals with CFS on sociodemographic, functional disability, viral, immune, neuroendocrine, neurology, autonomic, and genetic biomarkers can provide clarification for researchers and clinicians who encounter CFS’ characteristically confusing heterogeneous symptom profiles. Treatment studies that incorporate subtypes might be particularly helpful in better understanding the pathophysiology of CFS. This review suggests that there is a need for greater diagnostic clarity, and this might be accomplished by subgroups that integrate multiple variables including those in cognitive, emotional, and biological domains.

The economic impact of ME/CFS: individual and societal costs.

BackgroundME/CFS is characterized by debilitating fatigue in addition to other physical and cognitive symptoms. It is estimated to affect over 800,000 adults in the U.S. ME/CFS often results in diminished functionality and increased economic impact. The economic impact of an illness is generally divided into two categories: direct and indirect costs. Despite high prevalence rates and the disabling nature of the illness, few studies have examined the costs of ME/CFS at the individual and societal level. In fact, of the four studies examining the economic impact of ME/ME/CFS only two used a U. S. sample. The current study used community and tertiary samples to examine the direct costs of ME/CFS.MethodsUsing archival data, Study 1 examined the direct cost of ME/CFS in a community-based sample in Chicago. Study 2 estimated the direct cost of ME/CFS in a tertiary sample in Chicago. Both Study1 and Study 2 assessed direct costs using office visit costs, medical test costs, and medication costs.ResultsFor Study 1, the annual direct total cost per ME/CFS patient was estimated to be

Non-pharmacologic Interventions for CFS: A Randomized Trial

2,342, with the total annual direct cost of ME/CFS to society being approximately

The Racial Microaggressions Scale (RMAS): a new scale to measure experiences of racial microaggressions in people of color.

2 billion. In Study 2, the annual direct was estimated to be

The impact of energy modulation on physical functioning and fatigue severity among patients with ME/CFS §

8,675 per ME/CFS patient, with the total annual direct cost of ME/CFS to society being approximately

Variability in diagnostic criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome may result in substantial differences in patterns of symptoms and disability.

7 billion.ConclusionUsing ME/CFS prevalence data of 0.42 and indirect costs estimates from Reynolds et al. (2004), the direct and indirect cost of ME/CFS to society was estimated to be

Causes of Death Among Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

18,677,912,000 for the community sample and

Development and psychometric evaluation of the Social Justice Scale (SJS).

23,972,300,000 for the tertiary sample. These findings indicate that whether or not individuals are recruited from a community or tertiary sample, ME/CFS imposes substantial economic costs.

Symptom occurrence in persons with chronic fatigue syndrome

Non-pharmacological behavioral treatments for CFS have been suggested as promising. These trials have tested protocols composed of behavioral, cognitive and cognitive–behavioral interventions but there have been few efforts to differentially evaluate their outcomes. The primary purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of nurse delivered non-pharmacologic interventions. In the present study, 114 participants diagnosed with CFS were randomly assigned to four 6-month interventions. The interventions were: cognitive–behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, anaerobic activity, and a relaxation control group. The study found that these interventions led to increases in several areas of functioning, with more consistent changes occurring among those participants in the cognitive condition. For the 25 variables in this study, significant change occurred for 28%, 20%, 16%, and 12% of the variables for the cognitive, cognitive behavior therapy, anaerobic activity, and relaxation conditions, respectively. However, the majority of participants continued to be diagnosed with CFS following the treatment trial. Implications of these findings are discussed.

The Relationships among Coping Styles and Fatigue in an Ethnically Diverse Sample

Racial microaggressions refer to the racial indignities, slights, mistreatment, or offenses that people of color may face on a recurrent or consistent basis. Racial microaggressions may represent a significant source of stress endured by people of color. The purpose of this study was to develop a scale to measure racial microaggressions. Exploratory factor analyses and confirmatory factor analyses were used to assess the dimensionality of the scale. The internal reliability, convergent validity, and concurrent validity of the scale were also explored. Results indicated that the Racial Microaggression Scale is a multidimensional tool to assess perceptions of racial microaggressions by people of color.