Table 2. Baseline self-reported symptom scores, baseline Function level, and baseline norm-based SF-36 scores, for 28 patients receiving rituximab induction and maintenance treatment.
| All patients | Responders a | Non-responders b | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline symptom scores c | n = 28 | n = 18 | n = 10 |
| Fatigue score d mean (range) | 8.0 (6.3–10.0) | 8.0 (6.5–9.3) | 8.0 (6.3–10.0) |
| Cognitive score e | 7.5 (4.7–10.0) | 7.3 (4.7–8.7) | 7.9 (5.7–10.0) |
| Pain score f | 7.2 (4.0–9.0) | 7.2 (4.0–9.0) | 7.4 (5.5–9.0) |
| ME/CFS overall score g | 8.2 (6.0–10.0) | 8.0 (6.0–9.0) | 8.4 (6.0–10.0) |
| Baseline Function level (%) h | n = 28 | n = 18 | n = 10 |
| mean (range) | 15.0 (5.0–50.0) | 13.1 (5.0–35.0) | 18.6 (8.0–50.0) |
| Baseline SF-36, norm-based i | n = 27 | n = 17 | n = 10 |
| Physical Health Summary, mean (SD) | 25.6 (6.6) | 27.0 (7.2) | 23.2 (5.1) |
| Mental Health Summary | 44.6 (10.4) | 43.3 (10.5) | 46.7 (10.4) |
| Physical Function | 33.0 (7.9) | 34.0 (8.4) | 31.3 (6.9) |
| Role Physical | 29.1 (3.4) | 29.4 (4.0) | 28.5 (2.2) |
| Bodily Pain | 32.0 (8.4) | 33.0 (8.9) | 30.4 (7.7) |
| Vitality | 31.6 (5.9) | 31.7 (6.1) | 31.6 (5.9) |
| General Health | 31.1 (5.0) | 32.0 (5.6) | 29.5 (3.5) |
| Social Function | 21.4 (8.7) | 20.6 (8.7) | 22.9 (9.1) |
| Role Emotional | 48.9 (11.1) | 48.8 (11.5) | 49.2 (11.0) |
| Mental Health | 46.9 (10.7) | 45.6 (9.7) | 48.9 (12.5) |
a: Clinically significant responders, including 14 major and four moderate responders.
b: Patients with no clinically significant response, including one patient with a marginal response and nine non-responders.
c: Baseline self-reported symptom scores assessed for the preceding 3-months period before start of intervention (scale 1–10; 1: no symptom, 5: moderate symptom, 10: very severe symptom, see S1 Fig).
d: Fatigue score was the mean score for the four symptoms: Fatigue, Malaise after exertion, Need for rest, Daily functioning.
e: Cognitive score was the mean score for the three symptoms: Concentration ability, Memory disturbance, Mental tiredness.
f: Pain score was the mean score for the two dominating pain symptoms, from Muscle pain, Headache, Joint pain, Cutaneous pain (if pretreatment score at least 4).
g: ME/CFS overall score was the patient’s interpretation of overall symptom burden at baseline.
h: Baseline self-reported Function level (scale 0–100%, in which 100% denotes a completely healthy state), according to a form with examples (see S3 Fig).
i: SF-36 norm-based scores at baseline (population mean approximately 50).