ATLANTA, Jan 6, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Trauma during childhood could
predispose the sufferer to chronic fatigue syndrome as an adult, researchers at
Emory University in Atlanta found.
In a report in Tuesday's Archives of General Psychiatry, researchers said they
found 62 percent of adults with chronic fatigue syndrome suffered a childhood
trauma such as neglect or abuse, compared with 24 percent of adults who hadn't
experienced such trauma, USA Today reported.
Chronic fatigue syndrome is unexplained exhaustion, aches and pains that last
more than six months, said Janet Squires, director of the Child Advocacy Center
at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, who wasn't part of the study.
"It's eye-opening to see that things that go wrong in childhood might impact
people for the rest of their lives," Squires told USA Today.
Study author Christine Heim said relatively few trauma survivors develop chronic
fatigue, which affects about 2.5 percent of the adult population. Research also
indicates the syndrome could be caused by an infection or immune system problem,
she says.
While the study linked trauma and chronic fatigue, Heim said it wasn't designed
to prove that trauma actually causes the condition. To better prove the link,
researchers must do a "forward-looking" study in which they follow trauma
survivors for many years, she said.
Heim said her study also found a possible biological explanation. Adults with
chronic fatigue had lower levels of a stress hormone called cortisol, as do many
people with post-traumatic stress disorder.
URL: www.upi.com
Copyright 2009 by United Press International