Characteristics of chronic fatigue syndrome in a Japanese community population

Abstract

This study seeks to estimate the prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and assess the characteristics of CFS in a community population in Japan using laboratory tests and questionnaires for lifestyle, fatigue states, and depression states. The design of this study is a cross-sectional observational study. The setting of this study is a medical health checkup program in a general hospital. This study was conducted with 1,430 Japanese (867 men and 563 women), 20 to 78 years of age. We classified participants who complained of fatigue according to the case definition of CFS proposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA in 1994. Alcohol, caffeine, catechin and total polyphenol consumption, smoking status, sleep duration, and physical activity were evaluated using questionnaires. The prevalence of CFS was 1.0% (95% CI 0.5-1.6%) of a community population in Japan. Although various lifestyle factors of the participants with CFS were similar to those without chronic fatigue, average sleep duration was significantly shorter among the participants with CFS (5.5 ± 0.8 h) compared to those without chronic fatigue (6.3 ± 0.9 h, P < 0.001). Proportion at subjects having average sleep duration of less than 6 h was 64.3% among the participants with CFS in contrast to only 15.0% in those without chronic fatigue (P < 0.001). Among the eight case-defining symptoms, "Unrefreshing sleep" had high sensitivity and high specificity for screening CFS in Japanese population (92.9% and 87.8%, respectively). The average sleep duration was notably shorter in Japanese suffering from CFS. Further longitudinal study is needed to evaluate the possibility of extreme short sleep duration as a major cause of CFS in Japan.

Lama Tidur Dan Akumulasi Kelelahan Kerja (Accumulated Fatigue) Pada Dosen

“…Hal tersebut harus menjadi perhatian bagi dosen dalam menjaga kesehatannya. Seperti dikemukakan oleh Hamaguchi (2011), bahwa lama waktu tidur pada pegawai di Jepang telah menjadi masalah sosial, sebanyak 40 responden yang mengalami kelelahan kerja ternyata waktu tidurnya kurang dari 6 jam per hari. Penyebab kelelahan yang utama pada dosen karena lama tidur yang kurang memadai, dan dari hasil uji statistik disimpulkan bahwa semakin kurang waktu tidur, maka semakin tinggi tingkat kelelahan kerja yang terjadi pada dosen.…”

“…Hasil penelitian ini juga sesuai dengan penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Hamaguchi (2011), yang menunjukkan bahwa rerata lama tidur per hari berhubungan dengan kelelahan kerja pada pegawai di Jepang. Penyebab utama kelelahan kerja yang terjadi di Jepang ternyata waktu tidur yang kurang dari 6 jam per hari.…”

The role of sleep in chronic fatigue syndrome: a narrative review

“…Some 87-95% of CFS patients report awakening unrefreshed, as identified in community-based surveys. [2,4,9,10] Patients also commonly report disrupted and fragmented sleep and difficulties in getting to sleep or staying asleep, despite feeling tired. [11] The following sections will review the evidence from subjective and objective studies of sleep in CFS, and consider some of the difficulties with existing methods of assessment.…”

“…EEG brain wave activity can be categorised in frequency bands which provides a gross indication of a particular sleep/wake state. For example, alpha activity (8)(9)(10)(11)(12) is the dominant rhythm in a relaxed wake state in posterior regions of the scalp. Alpha waves can also be observed during the various Table 3.…”

Fatigue in rheumatic diseases

“…Adding relaxation exercises can have a positive effect on symptoms and may improve mood, quality of life, and physical functioning (101,102). Sleep disturbance is found in 87-95% of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome reporting unrefreshing sleep (103,104). Sleep management strategies form a part of cognitive behavioral therapy (105).…”