Frequency and content analysis of chronic fatigue syndrome in medical text books
Leonard A. Jason A B , Erin Paavola A , Nicole Porter A and Morgan L. Morello AA DePaul University, Center for Community Research, 990 W. Fullerton Avenue, Suite 3100, Chicago, IL 60614, USA.
B Corresponding author. Email: ljason@depaul.edu
Australian Journal of Primary Health 16(2) 174-178 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY09023
Published: 19 May 2010
Abstract
Text books are a cornerstone in the training of medical staff and students, and they are an important source of references and reviews for these professionals. The objective of this study was to determine both the quantity and quality of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) information included in medical texts. After reviewing 119 medical text books from various medical specialties, we found that 48 (40.3%) of the medical text books included information on CFS. However, among the 129 527 total pages within these medical text books, the CFS content was presented on only 116.3 (0.090%) pages. Other illnesses that are less prevalent, such as multiple sclerosis and Lyme disease, were more frequently represented in medical text books. These findings suggest that the topic of CFS is underreported in published medical text books.
Additional keywords: myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Acknowledgements
The authors appreciate financial support from NIAID (grant number AI055735).
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