A Quick and Practical Approach to Secure a Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Diagnosis: The Novel Functional Limitation Index.
J Clin Med
; 12(22)2023 Nov 17.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38002769
ABSTRACT
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a serious, clinical, long-term condition with an unclear etiology and a difficult diagnosis. Our aim is to propose an objective physiological parameter (Functional Limitation Index, FLI) that describes the degree of functional impairment to support clinical suspicion. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
We consecutively included all CFS patients who consulted in the Exercise Physiology Department at our hospital, a dedicated referral unit for CFS, from 2009 to 2022. For comparison purposes, we included two control groups. Thus, three cohorts were included the CFS group (patients with a previous definitive diagnosis), healthy voluntaries and a sportspeople/trained cohort (amateur athletes). All patients underwent a body composition test, spirometry, basal ECG in supine and standing positions and double peak effort ergospirometry with criteria of maximality.RESULTS:
The CFS+ group comprised 183 patients (85% female, mean age 46.2 years) and the CFS- included 161 cases (25.5% female, mean age 41.2 years); there were 93 patients in the healthy and 68 in the trained cohort. The CFS+ presented a lower functional class and scored worse in all of the performance parameters. The FLI was significantly higher in CFS+ (2.7 vs. 1.2; p < 0.001). The FLI displayed a good discrimination power (AUC = 0.94, p < 0.001), with a higher AUC than all of the other spirometric variables recorded. The best dichotomic overall FLI cutoff would be 1.66 with good specificity and sensitivity (S = 0.874, E = 0.864, Youden Index = 0.738).CONCLUSIONS:
The Functional Limitation Index (FLI) could provide an easy and accurate diagnosis of this condition in both genders in a one-day assessment.
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01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Clin Med
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article