Chronic Fatigue Linked to Childhood Trauma

 A new study links childhood trauma to adult symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), providing scientists and medical professionals with important information about this mysterious condition.

Between 400,000 and 900,000 adults in the United States are affected by CFS, which is defined as unexplained fatigue that lasts for at least six months, does not get better with rest and that interrupts daily activities. Concurrent symptoms include exhaustion after exertion, difficulty with memory and concentration, unrefreshing sleep, headaches, muscle and join pain, sore throat and tender lymph nodes. Until now scientists have had few clues about what causes CFS, nor understood how to treat it.

The study, which was conducted at Emory University in Atlanta for the Centers for Disease Control, compared 43 people with CFS to 60 without the condition. All study participants underwent medical examination, provided their medical history and were interviewed to detect psychiatric disorders. They also completed a questionnaire that assessed their levels of childhood trauma, including physical and sexual abuse, and emotional and physical neglect.

The study results reveal that risk of developing CFS increases substantially after childhood exposure to trauma, by three to eight times. Sexual abuse and emotional neglect were most strongly associated with CFS. Also, the study finds that not all CFS patients experienced childhood abuse, but those who did have more severe symptoms.

The study also revealed that CFS patients are more likely to have psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

“In sum, it appears that CFS is part of spectrum of disorders that are associated with childhood adversity,” the study authors wrote. “In adulthood, these disorders frequently manifest or worsen in relation to an acute stress or challenge. High emotional reactivity is a risk factor for all of these disorders. Thus, enhanced stress and mood reactivity can be assumed to be a central feature common to this spectrum of disorders.”