Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Apr 1;3(2):63-74.
doi: 10.1080/21641846.2015.1017344. Epub 2015 Aug 26.

Comparing and Contrasting Consensus versus Empirical Domains

Leonard A Jason  1 , Bobby Kot  1 , Madison Sunnquist  1 , Abigail Brown  1 , Jordan Reed  1 , Jacob Furst  1 , Julia L Newton  2 , Elin Bolle Strand  3 , Suzanne D Vernon  4
Affiliations

Comparing and Contrasting Consensus versus Empirical Domains

Leonard A Jason et al. Fatigue. .

Abstract

Background: Since the publication of the CFS case definition [1], there have been a number of other criteria proposed including the Canadian Consensus Criteria [2] and the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: International Consensus Criteria. [3].

Purpose: The current study compared these domains that were developed through consensus methods to one obtained through more empirical approaches using factor analysis.

Methods: Using data mining, we compared and contrasted fundamental features of consensus-based criteria versus empirical latent factors. In general, these approaches found the domain of Fatigue/Post-exertional malaise as best differentiating patients from controls.

Results: Findings indicated that the Fukuda et al. criteria had the worst sensitivity and specificity.

Conclusions: These outcomes might help both theorists and researchers better determine which fundamental domains to be used for the case definition.

Keywords: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis; biomarkers; case definitions; chronic fatigue syndrome.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Fukuda K, Straus SE, Hickie I, Sharpe MC, Dobbins JG, Komaroff A. The chronic fatigue syndrome: A comprehensive approach to its definition and study. Annals of Internal Medicine. 1994;121:953–959. - PubMed
    1. Carruthers BM, Jain AK, De Meirleir KL, Peterson DL, Klimas NG, Lerner AM, et al. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: Clinical working case definition, diagnostic and treatments protocols. Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. 2003;11:7–115.
    1. Carruthers BM, van de Sande MI, De Meirleir KL, Klimas NG, Broderick G, Mitchell T, Stevens S. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: International Consensus Criteria. Journal of Internal Medicine. 2011 (published online on 20 July 2011).doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2796.2011.02428. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jason LA, Evans M, Brown M, Porter N, Brown A, Hunnell J, Lerch A. Fatigue scales and chronic fatigue syndrome: Issues of sensitivity and specificity. Disability Studies Quarterly. 2011;31 PMCID: PMC3181109. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jason LA, Jessen T, Porter N, Boulton A, Njoku MG, Friedberg F. Examining types of fatigue among individuals with ME/CFS. Disability Studies Quarterly. 2009;29

LinkOut - more resources