Treatments of chronic fatigue syndrome and its debilitating comorbidities: a 12-year population-based study

Background This study aims to provide 12-year nationwide epidemiology data to investigate the epidemiology and comorbidities of and therapeutic options for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) by analyzing the National Health Insurance Research Database. Methods 6306 patients identified as having CFS during the 2000-2012 period and 6306 controls (with similar distributions of age and sex) were analyzed. Result The patients with CFS were predominantly female and aged 35-64 years in Taiwan and presented a higher proportion of depression, anxiety disorder, insomnia, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, renal disease, type 2 diabetes, gout, dyslipidemia, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren syndrome, and herpes zoster. The use of selective serotonin receptor inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), Serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitors (SARIs), Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), benzodiazepine (BZD), Norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs), muscle relaxants, analgesic drugs, psychotherapies, and exercise therapies was prescribed significantly more frequently in the CFS cohort than in the control group. Conclusion This large national study shared the mainstream therapies of CFS in Taiwan, we noticed these treatments reported effective to relieve symptoms in previous studies. Furthermore, our findings indicate that clinicians should have a heightened awareness of the comorbidities of CFS, especially in psychiatric problems.

Automated summary

This study provides 12-year nationwide epidemiological data on chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in Taiwan, showing a higher prevalence of various comorbidities in CFS patients compared to controls. Treatment options including SSRIs, SNRIs, SARIs, TCAs, BZD, NDRIs, muscle relaxants, analgesics, psychotherapies, and exercise therapies were prescribed more frequently in the CFS cohort.