Table 1.
SF-36 Physical functioning scores in patients with and without varying aspects of PEM (N = 1534).
| Item | Yes |
No |
t | p | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | M (SD) | n | M (SD) | |||
| Immediate PEM onset | 1092 | 24.74 (19.54) | 414 | 34.17 (23.06) | −7.94 | *** |
| Delayed PEM onset | 1379 | 27.66 (20.69) | 125 | 23.52 (23.18) | 2.12 | * |
| Basic activities of daily living trigger PEM | 1181 | 22.08 (17.76) | 325 | 46.40 (20.79) | −21.05 | *** |
| Positional changes trigger PEM | 976 | 22.06 (18.42) | 527 | 36.96 (21.97) | −13.97 | *** |
| Emotional events trigger PEM | 1405 | 27.15 (20.86) | 98 | 30.46 (22.20) | −1.51 | .131 |
| Precipitant cannot be identified | 1283 | 26.78 (20.32) | 215 | 31.28 (24.24) | −2.92 | ** |
| During recovery, less exposure than usual to trigger PEM | 1425 | 26.91 (20.65) | 73 | 32.74 (23.75) | −2.33 | * |
| Mild overexertion over several days trigger PEM | 1461 | 26.96 (20.64) | 40 | 39.38 (28.45) | −3.71 | *** |
| Chemicals trigger PEM | 874 | 24.40 (19.86) | 509 | 32.86 (22.58) | −7.26 | *** |
| Foods trigger PEM | 918 | 25.50 (20.08) | 454 | 31.86 (22.67) | −5.29 | *** |
| Light trigger PEM | 1035 | 23.82 (19.58) | 386 | 36.71 (22.35) | −10.62 | *** |
| Heat trigger PEM | 1123 | 24.29 (19.69) | 295 | 39.24 (21.80) | −11.34 | *** |
| Cold trigger PEM | 1003 | 24.48 (19.25) | 390 | 35.44 (23.65) | −8.93 | *** |
| Noise trigger PEM | 1285 | 25.10 (19.70) | 173 | 42.95 (23.61) | −10.91 | *** |
| Visual overload trigger PEM | 1204 | 24.98 (19.58) | 226 | 39.87 (23.92) | −10.10 | *** |
| Watching movement trigger PEM | 794 | 22.30 (19.11) | 556 | 34.51 (22.01) | −10.85 | *** |
| Sensory overload trigger PEM | 1264 | 25.14 (19.81) | 173 | 42.23 (23.28) | −10.41 | *** |
| Prolonged duration of PEM | 1438 | 26.80 (20.62) | 64 | 39.53 (25.16) | −4.79 | *** |
| Severity out-of-proportion to type of exertion | 1450 | 26.82 (20.58) | 51 | 38.82 (26.11) | −4.05 | *** |
| Severity out-of-proportion to intensity of exertion | 1433 | 26.98 (20.67) | 64 | 33.75 (25.46) | −2.54 | * |
| Severity out-of-proportion to frequency of exertion | 1284 | 25.64 (20.22) | 193 | 37.07 (22.74) | −7.20 | *** |
| Severity out-of-proportion to duration of exertion | 1366 | 26.56 (20.60) | 121 | 35.04 (23.23) | −4.29 | *** |
| Pacing allows you to completely avoid PEM | 90 | 37.67 (24.83) | 1408 | 26.69 (20.50) | 4.86 | *** |
| Pacing allows you to avoid PEM to a certain degree | 1326 | 27.73 (20.52) | 169 | 23.99 (23.75) | 2.19 | * |
PEM: post-exertional malaise; SF-36: Short-Form Health Survey-36; SD: standard deviation.
Higher SF-36 scores indicate better physical functioning.
*
p < .05;
**
p < .01;
***
p < .001.