HYPOCHONDRIASIS INFLUENCES QUALITY-OF-LIFE OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE

Background: To determine how hypochondriacal symptoms influence the qu ality-of-life outcomes of patients with a chief complaint of chronic f atigue, Methods: Cross-sectional cohort study of a consecutive sample of 71 patients (mean duration of fatigue of 4.1 years). Forty-eight (6 8%) patients met criteria for current major depression and 32 (45%) me t criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). All patients received a comprehensive medical and psychiatric evaluation. Quality-of-life and physical, depressive and hypochondriacal symptom scores were assessed through reliable self-report questionnaires and a structured intervie w. A path model expressing the relation between predictor variables (h ypochondriasis and depression), intervening variables (physical sympto ms) and quality of life was postulated and evaluated using structural equation methods. Results: The paths linking hypochondriasis with phys ical symptoms and mental health and the path connecting physical sympt oms and quality of life were each statistically significant. The model applied especially well to patients who fulfilled CFS criteria. Concl usions: The quality of life of chronic fatigue patients correlates wit h the severity of their physical symptoms and their hypochondriacal di sposition toward illness.