Incidence and clinical manifestations of chronic fatigue in Korea

Ji, Jong Dae; Choi, Seong Jae; Lee, Young Ho; Song, Gwan Gyu

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
It was reported that fatigue was the seventh most common symptom in primary care and 24% of the general adult population had fatigue lasting 2 weeks or longer in the united states. No medical cause was found in 59% to 64% of those persons. Chronic fatigue syndrome is chracterized by debilitating fatigue of at least 6 months duration accompanied by other symptoms such as fever, pharyngitis, painful lymph nodes, headache, myalgia, sleep disturbances, neurocognitive complaints, and depression. Idiopathic chronic fatigue is defined as clinically evaluated, unexplained chronic fatigue that fails to meet criteria for the chronic fatigue syndrome. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of idiopathic chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in Korea and to analysis the symptoms of those patients.
METHODS
Five hundred thirty persons who visited Korea university hospital health management center between March 1998 and June 1998 were participated in the study. The questionnaire made according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria was administerd and patients with idiopathic chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome were diagnosed by this questionnaire, physical examination and laboratory tests.
RESULTS
Ten persons(1.9%) met the criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome. and 115 persons (21.7%) met the criteria for idiopathic chronic fatigue. The symptoms in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome were memory loss or forgetfullness(90%), sore throat(20%), painful lymph node(30%), myalgia(80%), multiple arthralgia(20%), headache(50%), unrefreshing sleep(100%), postexertional malaise(90%).
CONCLUSION
Persons who met the criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome were found in 1.9%. The incidence of chronic fatigue syndrome in our study was high, compared with previous studies.