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Risk markers for both chronic fatigue and irritable bowel syndromes: a prospective case-control study in primary care

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2009

W. T. Hamilton ,
A. M. Gallagher ,
J. M. Thomas  and
P. D. White
W. T. Hamilton
Affiliation:
Academic Unit of Primary Health Care, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
A. M. Gallagher
Affiliation:
Centre for Psychiatry, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Bart's and the London, Queen Mary School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK
J. M. Thomas
Affiliation:
Centre for Psychiatry, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Bart's and the London, Queen Mary School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK
P. D. White*
Affiliation:
Centre for Psychiatry, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Bart's and the London, Queen Mary School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK
*
*Address for correspondence: Professor P. D. White, Centre for Psychiatry, St Bartholomew's Hospital, London EC1A 7BE, UK. (Email: p.d.white@qmul.ac.uk)
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Abstract

Background

Fatigue syndromes and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) often occur together. Explanations include being different manifestations of the same condition and simply sharing some symptoms.

Method

A matched case-control study in UK primary care, using data collected prospectively in the General Practice Research Database (GPRD). The main outcome measures were: health-care utilization, specific symptoms and diagnoses. Risk markers were divided into distant (from 3 years to 1 year before diagnosis) and recent (1 year before diagnosis).

Results

A total of 4388 patients with any fatigue syndrome were matched to two groups of patients: those attending for IBS and those attending for another reason. Infections were specific risk markers for both syndromes, with viral infections being a risk marker for a fatigue syndrome [odds ratios (ORs) 2.3–6.3], with a higher risk closer to onset, and gastroenteritis a risk for IBS (OR 1.47, compared to a fatigue syndrome). Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) shared more distant risk markers with IBS than other fatigue syndromes, particularly other symptom-based disorders (OR 3.8) and depressive disorders (OR 2.3), but depressive disorders were a greater risk for CFS than IBS (OR 2.4). Viral infections were more of a recent risk marker for CFS compared to IBS (OR 2.8), with gastroenteritis a greater risk for IBS (OR 2.4).

Conclusions

Both fatigue and irritable bowel syndromes share predisposing risk markers, but triggering risk markers differ. Fatigue syndromes are heterogeneous, with CFS sharing predisposing risks with IBS, suggesting a common predisposing pathophysiology.

Keywords

Aetiologychronic fatigue syndromefatigueirritable bowel syndromepost-viral fatigue syndromerisk markers
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 39 , Issue 11 , November 2009 , pp. 1913 - 1921
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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