title: Severity Scales for Use in Primary Health Care to Assess Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.
abstract: Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) is a physical and cognitive disabling illness, characterized by severe fatigue and a range of physiological symptoms, that primarily affects women. The immense variation in clinical presentation suggests differences in severity based on symptomology and physical and cognitive functional capacities. In this article, we examine a number of severity scales used in assessing severity of patients with CFS/ME and the clinical aspects of CFS/ME severity subgroups. The use of severity scales may be important in CFS/ME because it permits the establishment of subgroups that may improve accuracy in both clinical and research settings.
authors.affiliation: a National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases, Griffith Health Centre , School of Medical Science, Griffith University , Gold Coast , Queensland , Australia.
authors.forename: Sharni Lee
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hardcastle
authors.affiliation: a National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases, Griffith Health Centre , School of Medical Science, Griffith University , Gold Coast , Queensland , Australia.
authors.forename: Ekua Weba
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Brenu
authors.affiliation: a National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases, Griffith Health Centre , School of Medical Science, Griffith University , Gold Coast , Queensland , Australia.
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.affiliation: b National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases, Griffith Health Centre, School of Medical Science , Griffith University; and Queensland Health, Gold Coast Public Health Unit , Gold Coast , Queensland , Australia.
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Staines
authors.affiliation: a National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases, Griffith Health Centre , School of Medical Science, Griffith University , Gold Coast , Queensland , Australia.
authors.forename: Sonya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marshall-Gradisnik
mesh_terms: D004679:Encephalomyelitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D063806:Myalgia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires