The prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome in Iceland - A national comparison by gender drawing on four different criteria

Abstract

The study was carried out to estimate the prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in Iceland. No previous prevalence studies known to us have been undertaken in Iceland or in Scandinavia. A 95-item custom-made questionnaire was sent to 4000 randomly selected people. The response rate was 63%. The questionnaire was constructed to include questions on all the items found in the four most common criteria for diagnosing CFS; the criteria being Australian, British and American. Results show very different prevalences according to the criteria used. The prevalence ranged from 0 to 4.9%, with the most established criteria yielding a prevalence of 1.4%. Re-test validity of the questionnaire was good, the following results are based on the selection criteria by Fukuda et al. (Fukuda K, Straus SE, Hickie I, Sharpe MC, Dobbins JG, Komaroff A, et al. The chronic fatigue syndrome: a comprehensive approach to its definition and study. Ann Int Med 1994;121:953-9). Women were in a majority (78%); their mean age was 44, they were fully employed and worked long hours. They believed that the onset of their symptoms was stress related. The type of work was unskilled in the majority of cases. A significant proportion of the males felt a constant buzzing in their ears (P < 0.05). Food suppliants were used daily by significantly more women than men (P < 0.01). Men had more frequently phobic symptoms (P < 0.001) than did women. Differences were found in the prevalence of phobia and panic (P < 0.001) between women in the CFS group compared to healthy ones. A positive correlation was found in the prevalence of phobia between women in the CFS group and those with Iceland Disease.

Case definitions for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME): a systematic review

“…For example, two of the included studies reported similar point prevalence according to CDC-1994/Fukuda (2.1% and 2.6%) but reported very different estimates using the Australian-1990 criteria (7.6% and 1.4%) 54 55. Sometimes diagnoses were based on questionnaire responses only, sometimes following detailed clinical interviews and laboratory testing.…”

The Prevalence of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Nigeria

“…In addition, in Hickie et al's study, women were found to be at higher risk for this illness than men. Another community-based study in Iceland found a CFS-like prevalence rate of 1.4 percent (Lindal, Stefansson, & Bergmann, 2002). A national study with a sample of 7317 individuals in the USA found a 1.2 percent CFS-like prevalence rate (Bierl et al, 2004).…”

Comparison of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalopathy with other disorders: an observational study

“…23 For forums targeted at more than one disorder, the prevalence estimates for the wider group were used. The population prevalence estimates for CFS/ME range from 0.24 to 1.4%, 24–26 although estimates based on samples from primary care are as high as 2.6%. 27 However, due to the nature of CFS/ME, there remains some uncertainty in these estimates, with health service data suggesting there may have been a recent increase in the diagnosis of CFS/ME in Norway.…”