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American Journal of Public Health logoLink to American Journal of Public Health
. 1994 Feb;84(2):282–284. doi: 10.2105/ajph.84.2.282

Chronic fatigue syndrome: have flawed assumptions been derived from treatment-based studies?

J A Richman 1, J A Flaherty 1, K M Rospenda 1
PMCID: PMC1615008  PMID: 8296954

Abstract

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disabling disorder that has been studied primarily in clinical settings. In the absence of an adequate epidemiological database, cultural stereotypes have influenced the characterization of chronic fatigue syndrome as "the yuppie flu," similar to the 19th century characterization of neurasthenia as a disease of the affluent. The limited epidemiological data available and the overall medical-sociological literature call this assumption into question. Only a community "true" prevalence study that is unbiased by help seeking and access to health care can provide an accurate assessment of the risk factors for and the public health ramifications of this disease.

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Selected References

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