AN EPIDEMIOLOGIC-STUDY OF FATIGUE WITH RELEVANCE FOR THE CHRONIC-FATIGUE-SYNDROME

We surveyed households in four rural Michigan communities to confirm a reported cluster of cases resembling chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) a nd to study the epidemiology of fatigue in a rural area. Data were col lected from 1698 households. We did not confirm the reported cluster. The prevalence of households containing at least one fatigued person w as similar between communities thought to harbor the cluster and commu nities selected for comparison. Symptoms and features of generic forms of fatigue were very similar to those often attributed to CFS. (C) 19 97 Elsevier Science Ltd.