CHRONIC FATIGUE, FIBROMYALGIA, AND CHEMICAL SENSITIVITY.

The clinical differences between patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), and multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS) are unclear. This cross- sectional study compared patients with the three diagnoses who were referred to a university fatigue clinic.

Patients were diagnosed using Center for Disease Control criteria for CFS and American College of Rheumatology criteria for FM. The patients diagnosed with MCS had multiple symptoms including fatigue, headache, and sleep disturbance after chemical exposure.

The three groups, with 30 patients each, were similar in age, illness duration, and marital, employment, and disability status. There were more women with fibromyalgia than with CFS or MCS. Patients often reported sympto…