Widespread pain and chronic fatigue are common in the general population. Previous research has demonstrated co-occurrence of syndromes that are associated with pain and fatigue (fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome), but there is limited existing data on the co-occurrence of these symptoms in general. This study investigates the co-occurrence of pain and fatigue, and characterises people with these symptoms individually, and in combination. A postal questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 4741 community dwelling Dutch adults registered with five general practices. There were 2447 participants (adjusted response=53.5%). Persistent fatigue was reported by 60% of the 451 subjects with chronic widespread pain. Chronic widespread pain was reported by 33% of the 809 responders with persistent fatigue. Anxiety and depression were more common in subjects who reported both symptoms than those who reported either one or neither. Participants who had chronic disease, high body mass index, low activity levels or did not perceive ability to influence health had higher adjusted odds of reporting both symptoms (but not one alone) than subjects not having these characteristics. Pain and fatigue occur more often than would be expected by chance and there are a number of reasons for this. Clinicians should be aware that co-occurrence of the symptoms is common, especially in people who have high BMI or chronic disease, and that people with both symptoms are often anxious or depressed. Further work should address longitudinal associations of pain and fatigue.

Background:Little is known about the distribution of diagnoses that account for fatigue in patients in primary care. We evaluated the diagnoses established within 1 year after presentation with fatigue in primary care that were possibly associated with the fatigue. Methods:We conducted a prospective observational cohort study with 1-year follow-up. We included adult patients who presented with a new episode of fatigue between June 2004 and January 2006. We extracted data on diagnoses during the follow-up period from the patients' medical records as well as data on pre-existing chronic diseases. Results:Of the 571 patients for whom diagnostic data were available, 268 (46.9%) had received one or more diagnoses that could be associated with fatigue. The diagnoses were diverse and mostly included symptom diagnoses, with main categories being musculoskeletal (19.4%) and psychological problems (16.5%). Clear somatic pathology was diagnosed in 47 (8.2%) of the patients. Most diagnoses were not made during the consultation when fatigue was presented.Interpretation: Only a minority of patients were diagnosed with serious pathology. Half of the patients did not receive any diagnosis that could explain their fatigue. Nevertheless, because of the wide range of conditions and symptoms that may explain or co-occur with the fatigue, fatigue is a complex problem that deserves attention not only as a symptom of underlying specific disease. AbstractPreviously published at www.cmaj.ca

PURPOSE Although fatigue is a common presenting symptom in primary care and its course and outcomes often remain unclear, cohort studies among patients seeking care for fatigue are scarce. We therefore aimed to investigate patterns in the course of fatigue and relevant secondary outcomes in a large cohort of patients who sought care for a main symptom of fatigue. METHODSWe performed an observational cohort study in 147 primary care practices. Patients consulting their general practitioner for a new episode of fatigue were sent questionnaires at 1, 4, 8, and 12 months after baseline. We collected measures of fatigue, perceived health and functioning, absenteeism, psychological symptoms, and sleep using the Checklist Individual Strength, the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey, the Four-Dimensional Symptoms Questionnaire, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Questionnaire Inventory. Patients were classifi ed into 4 subgroups based on fatigue severity scores over time. We assessed patterns in the course of all outcomes in these subgroups and in the total population, and tested changes over time and differences between subgroups. RESULTS A total of 642 patients were enrolled in the study. Response rates during follow-up ranged between 82% and 88%. For 75% of the patients, 4 distinct groups could be discerned: 26% of patients had continuously high scores for fatigue, 17% had a fast recovery, 25% had a slow recovery, and 32% initially improved but then had a recurrence of fatigue. Patterns for the secondary outcomes of symptoms and functioning were all similar to the pattern for fatigue within each of the subgroups. CONCLUSIONSThe fi ndings of this study suggest a longitudinal relationship between the severity of fatigue, impaired functioning, psychological symptoms, and poor sleep. Physicians should be aware that a substantial proportion of patients seeking care for fatigue have these additional health and psychosocial problems. 2008;6:519-527. DOI: 10.1370/afm.908. Ann Fam Med INTRODUCTIONF atigue is a nonspecifi c symptom and often the main one for which patients consult general practitioners; its prevalence ranges from 5% to 10%. [1][2][3][4] Fatigue frequently remains the only (symptom) diagnosis in an episode of care.2 Serious functional impairment, psychological symptoms, and disturbed sleep often accompany fatigue. [5][6][7][8] Knowledge about the course of fatigue and related problems in a heterogeneous primary care population is scarce, however, because most longitudinal studies on fatigued populations have been performed in highly selected groups, such as patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), postviral fatigue, or cancer.Available studies on fatigue in primary care often concern a general population of primary care patients rather than patients seeking care for fatigue as a main symptom, have a follow-up limited to a single measurement rather than repeated measurements, or have a small sample size. 520 FAT IGUE IN PR IM A RY C A R EOften, only patients with chronic fatigue have been included. 9 We therefo...

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Although fatigue is a common problem presenting to primary care, few prospective studies have examined the contribution of a wide range of prognostic factors. AimTo determine the combination of factors most strongly associated with a favourable or unfavourable course of fatigue, when fatigue is presented as a main symptom in primary care. Design of studyProspective, observational cohort study with a 1-year follow-up. SettingA total of 147 primary care practices in the Netherlands. MethodPatients presenting with fatigue as a main symptom completed questionnaires at baseline, and 1, 4, 8, and 12 months later. The prognostic value of potential predictors was assessed by applying multivariable logistic regression analysis. The outcome was severity of fatigue, defined as a combination of dichotomised scores on several repeated measurements with the Checklist Individual Strength. Separate models were used to predict either a favourable or an unfavourable course of fatigue. ResultsBaseline severity of fatigue and patient expectations of chronicity consistently predicted a poor outcome. Additional factors predicting a chronic course were baseline pain intensity and less social support. Baseline characteristics predicting a fast recovery were: male sex, not providing care for others (for example, for older people), better perceived health, and fewer (serious) prolonged difficulties. Both models had good reliability and discriminative validity (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve after internal validation: 0.78 and 0.79). ConclusionThe identified combination of predictors reflects the multidimensionality of fatigue, with a significant contribution of patient expectations of chronicity in the prediction of a poor prognosis. These negative perceptions are modifiable, and should receive more attention in the initial assessment of patients presenting with fatigue.