Table 3.
Triggers (N = 1534).
| Items | % (n) |
|---|---|
| Basic activities of daily living trigger symptom exacerbation | 78.2 (1199) |
| All of the time | 20.8 (319) |
| Most of the time | 24.1 (370) |
| About half the time | 17.7 (272) |
| A little of the time | 15.3 (234) |
| Positional changes lead to symptom exacerbation | 64.5 (990) |
| All of the time | 14.9 (229) |
| Most of the time | 20.0 (307) |
| About half the time | 15.5 (238) |
| A little of the time | 13.9 (213) |
| Emotional stress (good or bad) lead to symptom exacerbation | 93.2 (1429) |
| All of the time | 34.0 (522) |
| Most of the time | 29.2 (448) |
| About half the time | 18.3 (280) |
| A little of the time | 11.5 (177) |
| Instances in which the specific precipitants cannot be identified | 84.9 (1302) |
| Able to exercise a little as long as you stay within certain limits without symptom exacerbation | 37.0 (567) |
| Takes less exposure than usual to trigger PEM on days you are recovering from symptom exacerbation | 94.3 (1447) |
| Sensitized to particular triggers so they cause an even more abnormal response over time | 48.1 (738) |
| Severity of the PEM reaction proportionate to how far beyond your limits you have gone | 80.9 (1241) |
| Mild overexertion over several days produces an abnormal physical or cognitive response | 96.8 (1485) |
| Multiple occurrences of PEM that cause your overall health status to become worse over weeks/months | 84.4 (1295) |
| Intolerance to stimulation causes worsening in symptoms, but is not prolonged if stimulus is removed | 79.5 (1219) |
| Fighting off an infection (flu, cold, bladder infection) causes a worsening in all/most of your symptoms | 82.3 (1262) |
| Length of time for recovery correlates with the severity of PEM | 79.6 (1221) |
| Do you have other triggers such as | |
| Emotional events (good or bad) | 88.3 (1354) |
| Noise | 85.3 (1308) |
| Sensory overload | 83.6 (1282) |
| Visual overload | 79.7 (1223) |
| Heat | 74.4 (1141) |
| Light | 68.8 (1055) |
| Cold | 66.3 (1017) |
| Foods | 61.0 (935) |
| Chemicals | 58.0 (889) |
| Watching movement (such as watching a video) | 52.5 (806) |
| Vibration | 47.1 (722) |
| Drugs used for medication | 47.4 (727) |
| Mold | 39.4 (605) |
| Supplements | 27.4 (420) |