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. 1988 Mar 5;296(6623):696–699. doi: 10.1136/bmj.296.6623.696

Postviral fatigue syndrome: time for a new approach

Anthony S David, Simon Wessely, Anthony J Pelosi
PMCID: PMC2545306  PMID: 3128374

Abstract

Controversial views on the postviral fatigue syndrome (“myalgic encephalomyelitis”) were critically appraised in their historical context and recent advances in research (virology, immunology, neurophysiology, histopathology, and epidemiology) reviewed. Flaws detected in certain aspects of recent research included in particular failure to define fatigue, inadequate assessment of psychological features, and absent or inappropriate control groups. The findings suggest that the fruitless dichotomy of “organic versus functional” should be replaced by a multifactorial approach. Most important, epidemiological studies with explicit operational case definition are essential before progress can be made in the management of this distressing disorder.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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