title: The effect of C. burnetii infection on the quality of life of patients following an outbreak of Q fever.
abstract: Sixty-six cases of Q fever were diagnosed in people affiliated with a goat-farming co-operative in rural Newfoundland in the spring of 1999. Follow-up studies which included administration of the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) were conducted 3 and 27 months after the initial outbreak to prospectively follow the effects of acute Q fever on the quality of life of the participants. Twenty-seven months after the outbreak 51% of those who had Q fever reported persistent symptoms including seven participants whose symptoms had initially resolved 3 months after the outbreak. Individuals with Q fever had significantly lower scores on five of the eight scales in the SF-36 and lower scores in the mental and physical summary scales compared to uninfected controls. Although this supports the hypothesis of a 'post Q fever fatigue syndrome' (QFFS), further study is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Hatchette
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayes
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Merry
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Schlech
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Marrie
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D009523:Newfoundland and Labrador / Q000453:epidemiology; D011778:Q Fever / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011788:Quality of Life