Cort
Phoenix Rising Founder
- Messages
- 7,392
I think the survey was interesting; post-exertional malaise (despite the CDC's attempt to bury it) was right on top followed by sleep problems and muscle pain. I was a bit surprised by muscle pain - its not, I don't believe, one of the CDC's core symptoms in the 1994 definition -but its definitely one of my top symptoms and always has been.
Interestingly post exertional problems decreased a bit over time; not a huge amount - they were still way up there - but they weren't the top. I think that can only be due to people slowly learning how to manage their illness.
The survey could have been more comprehensive; nothing on problems standing, increased heart rate, heat intolerance, chemical sensitivities, libido...???? but it was interesting.
http://www.cfids.org/cfidslink/2009/090202.asp
Unfortunately I couldn't get the graphs in there - they were quite good. The average duration of this illness for people over 55 was 20 years!
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Interestingly post exertional problems decreased a bit over time; not a huge amount - they were still way up there - but they weren't the top. I think that can only be due to people slowly learning how to manage their illness.
The survey could have been more comprehensive; nothing on problems standing, increased heart rate, heat intolerance, chemical sensitivities, libido...???? but it was interesting.
http://www.cfids.org/cfidslink/2009/090202.asp
Unfortunately I couldn't get the graphs in there - they were quite good. The average duration of this illness for people over 55 was 20 years!
____________________________________________________________________________Survey respondents checked the symptoms they experienced. I have analyzed these symptoms by age groups and graphed them by the most common symptom to the least common symptom. The most common symptoms for all age groups are post-exertion fatigue, unrefreshing sleep, muscle pain and concentration problems. The next most common symptoms for all age groups are headache, joint pain, sinus problems, eyes sensitive to light, depression and other sleep problems. Interestingly, some of the symptoms that are less common also seem to vary more by age group. For example, pelvic pain is more common in the under-25 year age group while urgent need to urinate is more common in the older age groups.
The same four symptoms that were most common – post-exertion fatigue, concentration problems, muscle pain and unrefreshing sleep – were also reported to be the most severe for all age groups. The severity of unrefreshing sleep decreased slightly in the older age groups. Also, the less common symptoms were reported as more severe in the older age groups. This may be an indication of conditions that evolve and co-occur with CFS as individuals age and remain ill.
Over the next few months we will conduct correlative and combinatorial analyses to see if we can find significant associations with cause, age, sex and symptoms. We will also integrate the family history information you provided to see if this helps us elucidate cause(s) and pathophysiology of CFS. Stay tuned, and thank you again for participating in this rich and important survey!
Support validating CFS research with your gift to the CFIDS Association of America. Donate now!