A rating scale for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome (the FibroFatigue scale).
OBJECTIVE
To construct an observer's rating scale sensitive to change for measuring severity and treatment outcome in fibromyalgia (FM) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients.


METHODS
A selection of items from the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale (CPRS) were repeatedly rated and used as outcome measure of a 24-week treatment study. In the study 100 women, fulfilling the criteria for both FM and CFS, received intermittent injections of a staphylococcus toxoid or placebo. Nine CPRS-items with high baseline incidence (cutoff 70%) were extracted and validated against global ratings and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ). The fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome rating scale (the FibroFatigue scale) was thereafter formed based upon the extracted items and three supplemented ones. The interrater reliability was tested in 27 consecutive patients of both sexes.


RESULTS
The FibroFatigue scale is an observer's rating scale with 12 items measuring pain, muscular tension, fatigue, concentration difficulties, failing memory, irritability, sadness, sleep disturbances, and autonomic disturbances (items derived from the CPRS) and irritable bowel, headache, and subjective experience of infection (new items). There was a statistically significant correlation between the CPRS-extracted items and global ratings as well as with the FIQ. The interrater reliability of the new scale was excellent (correlation coefficient.98), irrespective of the patients' gender.


CONCLUSIONS
The FibroFatigue scale seems to be a reliable and valid measuring instrument with capacity to monitor symptom severity and change during treatment of FM/CFS patients.
Zachrisson
Olof
O
Psychiatry Section, Institute of Clinical Neuroscience, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden. olof.zachrisson@neuro.gu.se
Regland
Björn
B
Jahreskog
Marianne
M
Kron
Margareta
M
Gottfries
Carl G
CG
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index