BACKGROUND: Fatigue is a common symptom in Western high-income countries but is often medically unexplained and little is known about its presentation in other populations. AIMS: To explore the epidemiology and aetiology of fatigue in Sri Lanka, and of its overlap with depression. METHOD: A total of 4024 randomly selected twins from a population-based register in Sri Lanka (Colombo district) completed home interviews including the Chalder Fatigue Questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalence of fatigue was similar to that in other countries, although prolonged fatigue may be less common. There was substantial comorbidity with a screen for lifetime depression. Non-shared environmental factors made the largest contributions, although genetic/family factors also contributed. The aetiology appeared consistent across the spectrum of severity. CONCLUSIONS: The aetiology of fatigue is broadly similar in Sri Lanka and Western high-income countries. Abnormal experiences of fatigue appear to be the extreme form of more common fatigue, rather than representing independent entities with different genetic or environmental risk factors.
BACKGROUND:Fatigue is a common symptom in Western high-income countries but is often medically unexplained and little is known about its presentation in other populations. AIMS: To explore the epidemiology and aetiology of fatigue in Sri Lanka, and of its overlap with depression. METHOD: A total of 4024 randomly selected twins from a population-based register in Sri Lanka (Colombo district) completed home interviews including the Chalder Fatigue Questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalence of fatigue was similar to that in other countries, although prolonged fatigue may be less common. There was substantial comorbidity with a screen for lifetime depression. Non-shared environmental factors made the largest contributions, although genetic/family factors also contributed. The aetiology appeared consistent across the spectrum of severity. CONCLUSIONS: The aetiology of fatigue is broadly similar in Sri Lanka and Western high-income countries. Abnormal experiences of fatigue appear to be the extreme form of more common fatigue, rather than representing independent entities with different genetic or environmental risk factors.
Authors: Matthew Hotopf; Lisa Hull; Nicola T Fear; Tess Browne; Oded Horn; Amy Iversen; Margaret Jones; Dominic Murphy; Duncan Bland; Mark Earnshaw; Neil Greenberg; Jamie Hacker Hughes; A Rosemary Tate; Christopher Dandeker; Roberto Rona; Simon Wessely Journal: Lancet Date: 2006-05-27 Impact factor: 79.321
Authors: L A Jason; K M Jordan; J A Richman; A W Rademaker; C F Huang; W McCready; J Shlaes; C P King; D Landis; S Torres; T Haney-Davis; E L Frankenberry Journal: J Health Psychol Date: 1999-01
Authors: Harriet A Ball; Sisira H Siribaddana; Athula Sumathipala; Yulia Kovas; Nick Glozier; Frühling Rijsdijk; Peter McGuffin; Matthew Hotopf Journal: Twin Res Hum Genet Date: 2011-02 Impact factor: 1.587
Authors: Harriet A Ball; Sisira H Siribaddana; Athula Sumathipala; Yulia Kovas; Nick Glozier; Peter McGuffin; Matthew Hotopf Journal: BMC Psychiatry Date: 2010-02-02 Impact factor: 3.630
Authors: Panagiota Triantafyllou; Zeynep Nas; Helena M S Zavos; Athula Sumathipala; Kaushalya Jayaweera; Sisira H Siribaddana; Matthew Hotopf; Stuart J Ritchie; Frühling V Rijsdijk Journal: PLoS One Date: 2022-03-30 Impact factor: 3.240