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  • Title: Factor analysis of symptoms among subjects with unexplained chronic fatigue: what can we learn about chronic fatigue syndrome?
    Author: Nisenbaum R, Reyes M, Unger ER, Reeves WC.
    Journal: J Psychosom Res; 2004 Feb; 56(2):171-8. PubMed ID: 15016574.
    Abstract:
    OBJECTIVE: Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) case definitions agree that fatigue must be unexplained, debilitating and present for at least 6 months, but they differ over accompanying symptoms. Our objective was to compare the 1994 CFS case-defining symptoms with those identified by factor analysis. METHODS: We surveyed the Wichita population and measured the occurrence of 21 symptoms in 1391 chronically fatigued subjects who did not report fatigue-associated medical or psychiatric conditions. We used factor analyses to identify symptom dimensions of fatigue and cluster analysis to assign subjects to subgroups. RESULTS: Forty-three subjects had CFS. We confirmed three factors: musculoskeletal, infection and cognition-mood-sleep, essentially defined by CFS symptoms. Although factor scores were higher among CFS subjects, CFS and non-CFS distributions overlapped substantially. Three clusters also showed overlap between CFS and non-CFS subjects. CONCLUSION: CFS symptomatology is a multidimensional phenomenon overlapping with other unexplained fatiguing syndromes and this must be considered in CFS research.
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