difference in who is properly diagnosed and who is not. Some tools for
psychiatric assessment are inappropriate in patients who have only physical
symptoms. This particular group of researchers most often use the 1991
Oxford criteria - which was funded in part by senior author Dr. Peter
Denton White. The criteria does not make PEME mandatory nor memory or
concentration problems which are a cardinal pattern in patients with ME.
JRSM Short Rep.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22299071?dopt=Abstract#> 2012
Jan;3(1):4. Epub 2012 Jan 12.
Alternative diagnoses to chronic fatigue syndrome in referrals to a
specialist service: service evaluation survey.
Devasahayam A<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Devasahayam%20A%22%5BAuthor%5D>
, Lawn T<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Lawn%20T%22%5BAuthor%5D>
, Murphy M<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Murphy%20M%22%5BAuthor%5D>
, White PD<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22White%20PD%22%5BAuthor%5D>
.
Source
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Yorkhill Hospital , Glasgow , UK.
AbstractOBJECTIVE:
To assess the accuracy of diagnoses made by referrers to a chronic fatigue
syndrome (CFS) service.
DESIGN:
Retrospective service evaluation surveys of both rejected referral letters
and medical case-notes after full clinical assessment.
SETTING:
A specialist CFS clinic in London, UK.
PARTICIPANTS:
In the first survey, we assessed rejected referral letters between March
2007 and September 2008. In the second survey, we ascertained the primary
diagnosis made in case-notes of 250 consecutive new patients assessed
between April 2007 and November 2008.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
Reasons for rejection of referrals and primary diagnosis in those assessed.
RESULTS:
In the first survey, 154 out of 418 referrals (37%) were rejected. Of
these, 77 out of the available 127 referrals (61%) had a likely alternative
diagnosis. In the second survey of clinically assessed patients, 107 (43%)
had alternative medical/psychiatric diagnoses, while 137 out of 250 (54%)
patients received a diagnosis of CFS. The commonest alternative medical
diagnoses of those assessed were sleep disorders and the commonest
alternative psychiatric diagnosis was depressive illness. Altogether 184 of
377 (49%) patients had alternative diagnoses to CFS.
CONCLUSIONS:
Half of all the referred patients to a specialist CFS clinic had
alternative medical and psychiatric diagnoses. Specialist medical
assessment for patients with unexplained, disabling, chronic fatigue needs
to incorporate both medical and psychiatric assessments.
---------------------------------------------
Send posts to CO-CURE@listserv.nodak.edu
Unsubscribe at http://www.co-cure.org/unsub.htm
Co-Cure Archives: http://listserv.nodak.edu/archives/co-cure.html
---------------------------------------------
Co-Cure's purpose is to provide information from across the spectrum of
opinion concerning medical, research and political aspects of ME/CFS and/or
FMS. We take no position on the validity of any specific scientific or
political opinion expressed in Co-Cure posts, and we urge readers to
research the various opinions available before assuming any one
interpretation is definitive. The Co-Cure website <www.co-cure.org> has a
link to our complete archive of posts as well as articles of central
importance to the issues of our community.
---------------------------------------------
