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Jason ROCKS!: Constructive Debate With the CDC on Empirical Case Definition of CFS

leelaplay

member
Messages
1,576
Fred Springfield posted this to co-cure today (my spaces & bolds). Jason is one of my ME/CFS heroes. Love that he's getting criteria needs published now. Very timely.

A Constructive Debate With the CDC on the Empirical Case Definition of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Journal: Journal of Disability Policy Studies 2010; 20; 251

Authors: Leonard A. Jason, Nicole Porter, Molly Brown, Abigail Brown and Meredyth Evans

Affiliation: DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA

Corresponding Author: Leonard A. Jason, PhD, Director, Center for Community Research,
DePaul University, 990 W. Fullerton Ave., Suite 3100, Chicago, IL 60614
Email: <Ljason@depaul.edu>



Abstract


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates of the prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have have dramatically increased over the past 20 years, from 0.002% to 2.54%. Once considered a rare disorder, CFS is now characterized as a more common chronic health condition, with prevalence numbers suggesting that more than 4 million people in the United States have it.

The authors' research group proposes that selection criteria for CFS cases have broadened and provides data indicating 38% of those with a Major Depressive Disorder were misclassified as having CFS under the new CDC empirical case definition. The authors respond to concerns cited in Reeves, Gurbaxani, Lin, and Unger(2009).

Given the importance of standardizing procedures for identifying CFS, more research is needed using different criteria on samples of patients with CFS and other illnesses. The erroneous inclusion of people with primary psychiatric conditions in CFS samples has detrimental consequences for interpreting epidemiologic and etiological findings.


Keywords: CFS, case definitions, CDC, criteria

THis seems to be in response to Reeves reply to a Jason 2009 study. I missed them 1st go round.

William C. Reeves, Brian M. Gurbaxani, Jin-Mann S. Lin, and Elizabeth R. Unger
A Response to Jason et al. (2009), "Evaluating the Centers for Disease Controls Empirical Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Case Definition" Journal of Disability Policy Studies 2010 20: 229-232

Evaluating the Centers for Disease Controls Empirical Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Case Definition
Leonard A. Jason, Natasha Najar,Nicole Porter, Christy Reh
This version was published on September 1, 2009
Journal of Disability Policy Studies, Vol. 20, No. 2, 93-100 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1044207308325995
 
K

_Kim_

Guest
My university doesn't have a subscription to the Journal of Disability Policy Studies. Can anyone else access the full text on these articles? The abstracts are a big tease.
 

CBS

Senior Member
Messages
1,522
My university doesn't have a subscription to the Journal of Disability Policy Studies. Can anyone else access the full text on these articles? The abstracts are a big tease.

I can't get it either (not done trying). The DePaul's Center for Community Research didn't have any of these listed or linked either (http://condor.depaul.edu/~ljason/cfs/). Not surprising but I thought I'd try.
 

Hope123

Senior Member
Messages
1,266
Here is the article that was sent to me:
 

Attachments

  • Constructive Debate with the CDC - Jason-2010.pdf
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G

Gerwyn

Guest
does the WPI know

Here is the article that was sent to me:
Does the wpi know that the oxford criterea used in britain will have an even higher rate of patients with depression than CDC. Can someone tell them?
 

Dolphin

Senior Member
Messages
17,567
Does the wpi know that the oxford criterea used in britain will have an even higher rate of patients with depression than CDC. Can someone tell them?
Don't forget that the Oxford criteria is only sometimes used. It wasn't used for the XMRV studies.
 

leelaplay

member
Messages
1,576
Sagepub articles by Jason and Reeves on the CDC definition of CFS free for 1 week

yikes Tom - good spot - but yikes!

The new Acting Head of the CDC CFS recently publishing with Reeves. NOT an auspicious beginning.As she is the last name, that means that she may have not had much to do with the study, right (lots of wishful thinking and fingers crossed here - very scientific!)? Still, she did put her name on it. Wish I were feeling a bit better. Would like to check out her history.

Someone must have done some finagaling. The Jason studies (and others) are available free for a month. The Co-Cure moderators posted the below today. I'm passing the torch here team - I hope someone else is up to getting them into the library.

|Sage journals http://dps.sagepub.com/ is currently offering free e-access trials to 28 February for Special Education Journals including the Journal of Disability Policy Studies which recently published articles by Jason and Reeves on the CDC definition of CFS.

Relevant articles are at:

Leonard A. Jason, Natasha Najar, Nicole Porter, and Christy Reh
Evaluating the Centers for Disease Control's Empirical Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Case Definition
Journal of Disability Policy Studies 2009 20: 93-100
http://dps.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/20/2/93

William C. Reeves, Brian M. Gurbaxani, Jin-Mann S. Lin, and Elizabeth R. Unger
A Response to Jason et al. (2009), "Evaluating the Centers for Disease Control's Empirical Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Case Definition"
Journal of Disability Policy Studies 2010 20: 229-232
http://dps.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/20/4/229

Leonard A. Jason, Nicole Porter, Molly Brown, Abigail Brown, and Meredyth Evans
A Constructive Debate With the CDC on the Empirical Case Definition of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Journal of Disability Policy Studies 2010 20: 251-256.
http://dps.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/20/4/251
 

Dolphin

Senior Member
Messages
17,567
yikes Tom - good spot - but yikes!

The new Acting Head of the CDC CFS recently publishing with Reeves. NOT an auspicious beginning.As she is the last name, that means that she may have not had much to do with the study, right (lots of wishful thinking and fingers crossed here - very scientific!)? Still, she did put her name on it. Wish I were feeling a bit better. Would like to check out her history.
Thanks IF.

But just to be clear that the response to the Jason article was published in Sept 2009 so before she was head.

It's a pretty aggressive letter. To be honest, it's a bit more like a rant. And if they weren't the CDC, I don't think they'd be let write such a long letter.

So not good that she signed such a letter.

But at the same time, my guess is that Reeves wrote most of it and other people were asked to sign it.

The authors of the original criteria the letter defends were:
Reeves WC, Wagner D, Nisenbaum R, Jones JF, Gurbaxani B, Solomon L, Papanicolaou DA, Unger ER, Vernon SD, Heim C
so only 3 out of the 10 people signed it (or 2 out of 9 if you exclude Reeves).

Jin-Mann S. Lin is a math/stat person in the CDC as I recall - not sure if she would have strong views or if pressure was put on her or some sort of statistical advice was taken. Even if there was some statistical advice, the criteria are still a rubbish way to define CFS and people shouldn't be rushing to defend them in my opinion.
 
K

Katie

Guest
yikes Tom - good spot - but yikes!

The new Acting Head of the CDC CFS recently publishing with Reeves. NOT an auspicious beginning.As she is the last name, that means that she may have not had much to do with the study, right (lots of wishful thinking and fingers crossed here - very scientific!)? Still, she did put her name on it. Wish I were feeling a bit better. Would like to check out her history.


Actually, it's the second to last name that has the least to do with a study, the first and last did the most. :(
 

leelaplay

member
Messages
1,576
Thanks IF.

But just to be clear that the response to the Jason article was published in Sept 2009 so before she was head.

It's a pretty aggressive letter. To be honest, it's a bit more like a rant. And if they weren't the CDC, I don't think they'd be let write such a long letter.

So not good that she signed such a letter.

But at the same time, my guess is that Reeves wrote most of it and other people were asked to sign it.

Thanks for the clarity Tom - my sentence does leave it open as to when she co-authored with Reeves, pre or post Acting Head - hadn't realized that.
 
G

Gerwyn

Guest
Don't forget that the Oxford criteria is only sometimes used. It wasn't used for the XMRV studies.

The patients selected for the IC study were selected by criterea set by Sharpe et al 1991 they are otherwise known as the oxford criterea which most of the london psychiatrists use and many others
 

Dolphin

Senior Member
Messages
17,567