title: [Fatigue after Q fever: nothing new].
abstract: New guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Q-fever related fatigue syndrome have been proposed. However, we argue that Q-fever related fatigue syndrome is only just another description of a chronic fatigue syndrome in which a specific micro-organism is implicated. We feel that development of this guideline comes too soon and may be redundant, as relevant diagnosis and treatment protocols for patients with chronic fatigue, without somatic or psychiatric cause, are already available and current evidence does not support a distinct guideline for fatigue after Q fever. Rather, chronic infection with Coxiella Burnetii should be ruled out. Introducing the term 'Q-fever related fatigue syndrome' may only cause confusion, may lead to increased health-care costs, rather than improve patient management.
authors.affiliation: Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht, afd. Interne Geneeskunde en Infectieziekten, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jan Jelrik
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Oosterheert
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kampschreur
authors.forename: A I M Andy
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Hoepelman
mesh_terms: D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D011778:Q Fever / Q000150:complications*