THE EXISTENCE OF A FATIGUE SYNDROME AFTER GLANDULAR FEVER

This prospective cohort study was designed to test whether a distinct fatigue syndrome existed after the onset of glandular fever. Two hundr ed and fifty primary care patients, with either glandular fever or an ordinary upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) were interviewed thr ee times in the 6 months after the clinical onset of their infection. At each interview a standardized psychiatric interview was given and p hysical symptoms were assessed. There were 108 subjects with an Epstei n-Barr virus (EBV) infection; 83 subjects had glandular fever not caus ed by EBV and 54 subjects had an ordinary URTI. Five subjects were exc luded because they had no evidence of an infection. Principal componen ts analyses of symptoms supported the existence of a fatigue syndrome, particularly in the two glandular fever groups. The addition of sympt oms not elicited by the standard interviews gave the full syndrome. Th is included physical and mental fatigue, excessive sleep, psychomotor retardation, poor concentration, anhedonia, irritability, social withd rawal, emotional lability, and transient sore throat and neck gland sw elling with pain. A fatigue syndrome probably exists after glandular f ever.