CFS in Children and Adolescent: Ten Years of Retrospective Clinical Evaluation
Aim. To estimate number of children being diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Methods. For a period of 10 years (2002–2011) data from children being referred for fatigue symptoms were collected retrospectively. Results. Thirty-seven children were referred. Four were excluded due to inco...
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doaj-597b90efe852444cbdbf35f7cebb5eba2020-11-24T20:50:58ZengHindawi LimitedInternational Journal of Pediatrics1687-97401687-97592013-01-01201310.1155/2013/270373270373CFS in Children and Adolescent: Ten Years of Retrospective Clinical EvaluationIrene Elgen0Omar Hikmat1Tora N. Aspevik2Ellen Merete Hagen3Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, NorwayDepartment of Paediatrics, Haukeland University Hospital, Jonas Lies Vei 65, 5021 Bergen, NorwayDepartment of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, P.O Box 7804, 5020 Bergen, NorwayDepartment of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, P.O Box 7804, 5020 Bergen, NorwayAim. To estimate number of children being diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Methods. For a period of 10 years (2002–2011) data from children being referred for fatigue symptoms were collected retrospectively. Results. Thirty-seven children were referred. Four were excluded due to incorrect coding. Six (18%) patients received other diagnoses at the end of evaluation time. Of the 27 who received the diagnosis G93.3, four had a previous chronic illness, while 23 patients were previously healthy. All patients reported onset of fatigue symptom in relation to an infection, and all tested positive for IgG to either Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus or borrelia, indicating previous infection. There were 16 (59%) boys among the 27 patients. The mean age at the debut of fatigue symptoms was 141 months (SD 30) for boys and 136 months (SD 31) for girls, respectively. Being underweight, defined as BMI < 17.5, was found in 12 (44%) patients. Conclusion. An increasing number of children and adolescents are evaluated for CFS. The clinical assessment of children and adolescents with possible CFS need systematically evaluation. Nutritional status, possible eating disorder, and psychosocial issues need to be addressed and evaluated carefully. A multidisciplinary approach is essential when assessing CFS in children and adolescents. There is a need for European guidelines.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/270373 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Irene Elgen Omar Hikmat Tora N. Aspevik Ellen Merete Hagen |
spellingShingle |
Irene Elgen Omar Hikmat Tora N. Aspevik Ellen Merete Hagen CFS in Children and Adolescent: Ten Years of Retrospective Clinical Evaluation International Journal of Pediatrics |
author_facet |
Irene Elgen Omar Hikmat Tora N. Aspevik Ellen Merete Hagen |
author_sort |
Irene Elgen |
title |
CFS in Children and Adolescent: Ten Years of Retrospective Clinical Evaluation |
title_short |
CFS in Children and Adolescent: Ten Years of Retrospective Clinical Evaluation |
title_full |
CFS in Children and Adolescent: Ten Years of Retrospective Clinical Evaluation |
title_fullStr |
CFS in Children and Adolescent: Ten Years of Retrospective Clinical Evaluation |
title_full_unstemmed |
CFS in Children and Adolescent: Ten Years of Retrospective Clinical Evaluation |
title_sort |
cfs in children and adolescent: ten years of retrospective clinical evaluation |
publisher |
Hindawi Limited |
series |
International Journal of Pediatrics |
issn |
1687-9740 1687-9759 |
publishDate |
2013-01-01 |
description |
Aim. To estimate number of children being diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).
Methods. For a period of 10 years (2002–2011) data from children being referred for fatigue symptoms were collected retrospectively.
Results. Thirty-seven children were referred. Four were excluded due to incorrect coding. Six (18%) patients received other diagnoses at the end of evaluation time. Of the 27 who received the diagnosis G93.3, four had a previous chronic illness, while 23 patients were previously healthy. All patients reported onset of fatigue symptom in relation to an infection, and all tested positive for IgG to either Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus or borrelia, indicating previous infection. There were 16 (59%) boys among the 27 patients. The mean age at the debut of fatigue symptoms was 141 months (SD 30) for boys and 136 months (SD 31) for girls, respectively. Being underweight, defined as BMI < 17.5, was found in 12 (44%) patients.
Conclusion. An increasing number of children and adolescents are evaluated for CFS. The clinical assessment of children and adolescents with possible CFS need systematically evaluation. Nutritional status, possible eating disorder, and psychosocial issues need to be addressed and evaluated carefully. A multidisciplinary approach is essential when assessing CFS in children and adolescents. There is a need for European guidelines. |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/270373 |
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