Nine-Year Follow-Up of Danish Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) Patients 
 Impact on Health, Social, Vocational, and Personal Lives

 J of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Vol. 14, No. 2, 2007, pp. 7-23

 Mette Marie Andersen, Henrik Permin, Frank Albrecht


 Objective: To determine quality of life (QOL) and health in Danish CFS 
 patients 9 years after diagnosis.

 Methods: Thirty-four adults with CFS responded to questions regarding QOL 
 at diagnosis, and again 5 and 9 years later. At 9-year followup patients 
 also responded to questions regarding health, fatigue, use of Health Care 
 system, alcohol and exercise.

 Results: Two patients (6%) had recovered and 3 patients (10%) had received 
 secondary diagnoses. Overall, there was no improvement, except with 
 depression/anxiety. The order of severity among disabilities remained the 
 same. Work had the highest disability score, followed by post-exertional 
 malaise. Patients slept and rested 13.6 hours a day (mean). Self-reported 
 physical health correlated with hours sleeping and resting. Rheumatic 
 symptoms dominated the health symptoms. Alcohol consumption was low, and 
 the use of the Health Care system was modest.

 Conclusion: After 9 years QOL was the same as at diagnosis, only mental 
 health had improved.