despite it being available to read for free at:
http://www.hqlo.com/content/7/1/67
Use of medications by people with chronic fatigue syndrome and healthy
persons: a population-based study of fatiguing illness in Georgia
Roumiana S Boneva , Jin-Mann S Lin , Elizabeth M Maloney , James F Jones
and William C Reeves
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 2009, 7:67doi:10.1186/1477-7525-7-67
But given the CDC is doing a lot of CFS research on this cohort and is about
to test for XMRV using this cohort of CFS patients (selected using the
Reeves criteria), I thought I'd post some information, for what it's worth:
----
(I) Their average depression score is high enough to indicate depression:
"Using an SDS score of 50 or higher to indicate depression [11], CFS
subjects had the highest SDS index scores (56.2 ± 0.9, mean ± SEM) followed
by the ISF group (50.3 ± 0.5) and the Well controls (36.3 ± 0.4). "
Of course, it doesn't quite make sense to talk about a group being "on
average depressed" but 56.2+/-0.9 (quite a small SD) is high for a group.
----
(II) The mean and median income is low compared to health people (but the
standard deviation shows there is a lot of variation)
1st column of numbers: CFS
2nd column of numbers: ISF
2nd column of numbers: Well
Income
Mean (sd) 64,495.8 (87,057.0) 67,455.6 (63,118.1) 85,599.2 (82,699.2)
Median 52,025.0 55,000.0 72,272.0
Income range 0.0 – 750,000.0 0.0 – 447,466.0 0.0 – 500,000.0
(from: Table 1: Basic demographic characteristics of the subjects with
chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), subjects with insufficient symptoms to be
CFS (ISF) and Well controls)
----
(III) Their use of medication is different to the group that was selected
previously when the Reeves criteria were not used e.g. 65.% of them use pain
relievers compared to 87.8% in the Wichita study** (53.2% of the well people
used pain-relievers so the percentage for the Reeves criteria group is
closer to the well group than it is to the CFS (Fukuda) group).
[Aside: Note: Wichita in this case refers to the studies done 1997-2000. It
should not be confused with the Wichita 2-day study when people were brought
in in 2003. For this cohort, the empirical/Reeves definition was used.
Almost certainly it will be the Wichita 2-day cohort that will be used for
the XMRV testing]
===
"Our findings confirm those from a previous study of medication
use in persons with CFS from Wichita, Kansas [7].
Both studies found significantly higher usage of pain
relievers, gastrointestinal drugs, antidepressants and benzodiazepines
by persons with CFS compared to Well controls.
Unlike the Wichita study, though, persons with CFS
in Georgia were not significantly more likely than controls
to use hormones and supplements but were significantly
more likely than controls to use muscle relaxants and antiallergy
and cold/sinus medications. Overall, compared to
persons with CFS from the Wichita study [7], a smaller
proportion of persons with CFS in Georgia used painrelievers
(65.5% in Georgia vs. 87.8% in Wichita), supplements/
vitamins (44.3% vs. 62.2%), antidepressants
(36.3% vs. 41.1%), antibiotics (7.1% vs. 16.7%), hormones
(43.4% vs. 52.5%. among women only, 11.8%
among all CFS), antihypertensive drugs (17.7% vs.
21.1%), muscle relaxants (8.9% vs. 12.2%), anti-asthma
medications (7.1% vs. 12.2%), glucose-lowering drugs
(0.9% vs. 4.4%.). Use of other prescription drug categories
such as lipid-lowering drugs (11.5% vs.12.2%) and
benzodiazepines (12.4%, vs. 11.1% respectively) was
similar in Georgia and Wichita (Kansas). The relatively
lower usage of most prescription drug medications by persons
with CFS in Georgia compared to Wichita may reflect
lower seeking of, or lower access to, health care.
===
(They don't mention the alternative suggestion that the difference is most
likely due to different criteria for CFS).
Tom Kindlon
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