Defining and Managing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Evidence Report/TechnologyAssessment Number 42

摘要

This evidence report is a systematic review that summarizes the scientificliterature about the following aspects of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in adults: case definitions, prevalence, natural history, and treatment. The main results follow: (1) four well-recognized case definitions of CFS exist, and (2) findings from surveys that show the prevalence of CFS in community populations is probably less than 1 percent and in primary care populations less than 3 percent; (3) precise estimates of recovery, improvement, and/or relapse from CFS are not possible because there are few natural history studies and those that are available have involved selected referral populations or have used varying case definitions and followup methods; (4) thirty-eight controlled trials evaluating multiple treatment interventions show mixed results for the following therapies: immunologic therapy, corticosteroids, antidepressants, behavioral interventions, other pharmacological agents or supplements, and complementary therapies.