Prevalence of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in a Community Population in Japan
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NORITO KAWAKAMI, NOBORU IWATA,1 SHIGEKI FUJIHARA2 and TOSHINORI KITAMURA3
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The Department of Public Health, Gifu University School of Medicine, Gifu 500-8705, 1Center for Research in Behavioral Medicine and Health Psychology, University of South Florida, FL, USA, 2Yamazumi Hospital, Kofu 400-0007, and 3Department of Sociocultural Environmental Research, National Institute of Mental Health, Ichikawa 272-0827
In order to know the prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in a community population in Japan, we analyzed data from a population-based interview survey. Two cases out of 137 respondents experienced chronic fatigue during a period of nine months, suffered from 50% or more reduction of daily activity due to fatigue and had no other physical or psychiatric diagnosis. Both of the two cases fulfilled the 1994 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) criteria and the British criteria. The point and nine-month prevalence rates of CFS were both 1.5% (95% confidence intervals, 0.4-5.2%). None fulfilled the 1989 CDC criteria for CFS. The prevalence rate of CFS was higher than those in previous studies in the Western countries, suggesting a need for future research on cross-cultural differences in the definition, prevalence and symptomatology of CFS.
Key words---
chronic fatigue syndrome; prevalence; community survey; Japan
© 1998 Tohoku University Medical Press
Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 1998, 186, 33-41
Address for reprints:
Norito Kawakami, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Public Health, Gifu University School of Medicine, 40 Tsukasa-machi, Gifu 500-8705, Japan.
e-mail: norito@cc.gifu-u.ac.jp
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