Background
Methods
Population and size
Inclusion and exclusion criteria
Data collection
Statistical analysis
Results
Variables | Categories | ME/CFS n (%) | MS n (%) | Healthy Control n (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gender | Male | 54 (22.8) | 13 (27.7) | 39 (35.1) |
Female | 183 (77.2) | 34 (72.3) | 72 (64.9) | |
Age group | <30 | 40 (16.9) | 0 | 18 (16.2) |
30–39 | 48 (20.3) | 9 (19.1) | 24 (21.6) | |
40–49 | 65 (27.4) | 15 (31.9) | 30 (27.0) | |
50+ | 84 (35.4) | 23 (48.9) | 39 (35.1) | |
Ethnicity | White British | 220 (92.3) | 45 (95.7) | 96 (86.5) |
White Other | 5 (2.11) | 2 (4.26) | 6 (5.41) | |
Black African | 1 (0.42) | 0 | 1 (0.90) | |
Asian | 2 (0.84) | 0 | 4 (3.60) | |
Other | 7 (2.95) | 0 | 4 (3.60) | |
Income | <£15,000 | 71 (32.3) | 10 (24.4) | 23 (21.5) |
> = £15,000 | 149 (67.7) | 31 (75.6) | 84 (78.5) | |
Alcohol intakea
| No Alcohol | 87 (36.7) | 9 (19.15) | 25 (22.5) |
<14 units/week | 118 (49.8) | 27 (57.4) | 69 (62.1) | |
≥14 units/week | 32 (13.5) | 11 (23.4) | 17 (15.3) | |
Smoking status | Never Smoked | 150 (63,2) | 19 (40.4) | 78 (70.2) |
Ex-smoker | 62 (26.1) | 15 (31.9) | 0 | |
Current Smoker | 25 (10.5) | 13 (27.7) | 33 (29.8) | |
Depressiona
| No depression | 143 (60.3) | 36 (81.8) | 111 (100) |
Depression | 94 (39.7) | 11 (23.4) | 0 |
Symptom over past week | Severity | ME/CFS n/total = 237 (%) | MS n/total = 47 (%) | Healthy control n/total = 111 (%) |
P-value* |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Poor sleep quality/duration | <0.001 | ||||
Absent | 26 (10.9) | 14 (29.8) | 70 (63.1) | ||
Mild | 31 (13.1) | 15 (31.9) | 26 (23.4) | ||
Moderate | 81 (34.2) | 10 (21.3) | 13 (11.7) | ||
Severe | 99 (41.8) | 8 (17.0) | 2 (1.8) | ||
Unrefreshing sleep | <0.001 | ||||
Absent | 11 (4.6) | 10 (21.3) | 64 (57.7) | ||
Mild | 22 (9.3) | 12 (25.5) | 34 (30.6) | ||
Moderate | 73 (30.8) | 12 (25.5) | 11 (9.9) | ||
Severe | 131 (55.3) | 13 (27.7) | 2 (1.8) | ||
Difficulty retaining information | <0.001 | ||||
Absent | 21 (8.9) | 16 (34.0) | 93 (83.8) | ||
Mild | 70 (29.5) | 17 (36.2) | 18 (16.2) | ||
Moderate | 83 (35.0) | 11 (23.4) | 0 | ||
Severe | 63 (26.6) | 3 (6.4) | 0 | ||
Difficulty understanding/thinking clearly | <0.001 | ||||
Absent | 27 (11.4) | 23 (48.9) | 97 (87.4) | ||
Mild | 77 (32.5) | 12 (25.5) | 14 (12.6) | ||
Moderate | 76 (32.1) | 9 (19.1) | 0 | ||
Severe | 57 (24.1) | 3 (6.4) | 0 | ||
Slow thinking | <0.001 | ||||
Absent | 34 (14.3) | 19 (40.4) | 97 (87.4) | ||
Mild | 77 (32.5) | 14 (29.8) | 14 (12.6) | ||
Moderate | 80 (33.8) | 11 (23.4) | 0 | ||
Severe | 46 (19.4) | 3 (6.4) | 0 | ||
Disorientation | <0.001 | ||||
Absent | 107 (45.1) | 31 (66.0) | 107 (96.4) | ||
Mild | 51 (21.5) | 9 (19.1) | 3 (2.7) | ||
Moderate | 48 (20.3) | 6 (12.8) | 1 (0.9) | ||
Severe | 31 (13.1) | 1 (2.1) | 0 | ||
Trouble concentrating | <0.001 | ||||
Absent | 6 (2.5) | 12 (25.5) | 84 (75.7) | ||
Mild | 54 (22.8) | 15 (31.9) | 23 (20.7) | ||
Moderate | 102 (43.0) | 18 (38.3) | 3 (2.7) | ||
Severe | 75 (31.6) | 2 (4.3) | 1 (0.9) | ||
Short term memory problems | <0.001 | ||||
Absent | 22 (9.3) | 13 (27.7) | 90 (81.1) | ||
Mild | 65 (27.4) | 17 (36.2) | 19 (17.1) | ||
Moderate | 91 (38.4) | 15 (31.9) | 2 (1.8) | ||
Severe | 59 (24.9) | 2 (4.3) | 0 | ||
Brain fog/confusion | <0.001 | ||||
Absent | 38 (16.0) | 21 (44.7) | 99 (89.2) | ||
Mild | 62 (26.2) | 9 (19.1) | 11 (9.9) | ||
Moderate | 77 (32.5) | 15 (31.9) | 1 (0.9) | ||
Severe | 60 (25.3) | 2 (4.3) | 0 |
Logistic regression analysis
Variable | Odds ratio | 95% Confidence interval |
p value |
---|---|---|---|
Age < 30 | 1.00 | - | 0.204 |
Age 30–39 | 2.30 | 0.69–7.66 | |
Age 40–49 | 2.34 | 0.73–7.56 | |
Age 50+ | 3.23 | 1.04–10.04 | |
Male | 1.00 | - | 0.138 |
Female | 1.88 | 0.81–4.30 | |
Non-white ethnicity | 1.00 | - | 0.521 |
White ethnicity | 0.65 | 0.18–2.39 | |
Income < £15,000 | 1.00 | - | 0.017 |
Income > = £15,000 | 0.31 | 0.12–0.81 | |
No alcohol (six months before) | 1.00 | - | 0.942 |
Alcohol <14 units/week (six months before disease onset) | 0.96 | 0.48–1.94 | |
Alcohol ≥14 units/week (six months before disease onset) | 1.15 | 0.40–3.30 | |
No smoking | 1.00 | - | 0.026 |
Ex-smoker | 2.17 | 1.06–4.42 | |
Current smoker | 2.93 | 1.11–7.70 | |
No depression before symptoms | 1.00 | - | 0.169 |
Depression before symptoms | 1.58 | 0.82–3.03 | |
Duration of fatigue (years) | 0.99 | 0.94–1.05 | 0.804 |
Variable | Odds Ratio | 95% confidence interval |
p value |
---|---|---|---|
Age < 30 | 1.00 | - | 0.731 |
Age 30–39 | 0.94 | 0.18–4.79 | |
Age 40+ | 0.47 | 0.10–2.16 | |
Male | 1.00 | - | 0.424 |
Female | 0.58 | 0.15–2.23 | |
Income < £15,000 | 1.00 | - | 0.756 |
Income > = £15,000 | 0.67 | 0.05–8.64 | |
No alcohol (six months before) | 1.00 | - | 0.21 |
Alcohol <14 units/week (six months before disease onset) | 0.53 | 0.11–2.49 | |
Alcohol ≥14 units/week (six months before disease onset) | 0.28 | 0.04–2.09 | |
No smoking | 1.00 | - | 0.93 |
Ex-smoker | 0.79 | 0.18–3.53 | |
Current smoker | 0.96 | 0.21–4.42 | |
No depression before symptoms | 1.00 | - | 0.009 |
Depression before symptoms | 7.25 | 1.65–31.8 |