SHORT REPORT

Prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome-like caseness in the working population: results from the Maastricht cohort study

M J H Huibers¹, IJ Kant², G M H Swaen² and S V Kasl³

¹ Department of Medical, Clinical & Experimental Psychology, Maastricht University, Netherlands
² Department of Epidemiology, Maastricht University, Netherlands
³ Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr M J H Huibers
Department of Medical, Clinical & Experimental Psychology, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, Netherlands; marcus.huibers{at}hag.unimaas.nl

Aim: To determine the prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)-like caseness in the working population.

Methods: Using data from the prospective Maastricht Cohort Study on Fatigue at Work, the prevalence and incidence of CFS-like cases (employees meeting research criteria for CFS) were determined among 5499 employees who responded to the follow up assessment 3 years and 8 months after baseline.

Results: Of the 5499 employees, 199 (3.6%) were identified as CFS-like cases. By deleting possible CFS-like cases at baseline, the annual incidence of CFS-like caseness was estimated to be 85 per 10 000. Twenty employees (0.36%) reported having been diagnosed with CFS by a physician.

Conclusions: The prevalence of CFS-like cases (3.6%) was considerably higher than the prevalence of CFS reported in previous studies (0.006–3%). These findings suggest that the CFS-like caseness may be underdetected in the working population and perhaps in other populations as well.

Keywords: prevalence; working population; chronic fatigue syndrome

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• Huibers, M J H, Leone, S S, Kant, I., Knottnerus, J A (2006). Chronic fatigue syndrome-like caseness as a predictor of work status in fatigued employees on sick leave: four year follow up study. Occup. Environ. Med. 63: 570-572 [Abstract] [Full Text]