Abstract
Background: since the publication of the CFS case definition [Fukuda K, Straus SE, Hickie I, Sharpe MC, Dobbins JG, Komaroff A. The chronic fatigue syndrome: a comprehensive approach to its definition and study. Ann Intern Med. 1994;121:953–959], there have been a number of other criteria proposed including the Canadian Consensus Criteria [Carruthers BM, Jain AK, De Meirleir KL, Peterson DL, Klimas NG, Lerner AM, Bested AC, Flor-Henry P, Joshi P, Peter Powles AC, Sherkey JA, van de Sande MI. Encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: clinical working case definition, diagnostic and treatments protocols. J Chronic Fatigue Syndr. 2003;11:7–115] and the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: International Consensus Criteria [Carruthers BM, van de Sande MI, De Meirleir KL, Klimas NG, Broderick G, Mitchell T, Staines D, Powels AC, Speight N, Vallings R, Bateman L, Baumgarten-Austrheim B, Bell DS, Carlo-Stella N, Chia J, Darragh A, Jo D, Lewis D, Light AR, Marshall-Gradisbik S, Mena I, Mikovits JA, Miwa K, Murovska M, Pall ML, Stevens S. Myalgic encephalomyelitis: international consensus criteria. J Internal Med. 2011;270(4):327–338; Jason LA, Evans M, Brown M, Porter N, Brown A, Hunnell J, Anderson V, Lerch A. Fatigue scales and chronic fatigue syndrome: issues of sensitivity and specificity. Disabil Stud Q. 2011;31: PMCID: PMC3181109; Jason LA, Jessen T, Porter N, Boulton A, Njoku MG, Friedberg F. Examining types of fatigue among individuals with ME/CFS. Disabil Stud Q. 2009;29:4–11].
Purpose: the current study compared these domains that were developed through consensus methods to one obtained through more empirical approaches using factor analysis.
Methods: using data mining, we compared and contrasted fundamental features of consensus-based criteria versus empirical latent factors. In general, these approaches found the domain of fatigue/post-exertional malaise as best differentiating patients from controls.
Results: findings indicated that the Fukuda et al. criteria had the worst sensitivity and specificity.
Conclusions: these outcomes might help both theorists and researchers better determine which fundamental domains to be used for the case definition.
