Background/Purpose: Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a multifaceted illness with a wide range of symptoms. It shares similar symptomatology with depression. In situations where patients have both comorbidities, the management of CFS becomes very challenging. Small, scaled studies have shown a significant prevalence of depression among patients with CFS, but estimates, and predictors of depression in national representative samples are lacking. Our objective is to evaluate the prevalence and predictors of depression in US adults with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Methods: The 2021 and 2022 National Health Interview Survey Data was used for this cross-sectional study. Adults with chronic fatigue syndrome were the study’s population. The dependent variable was depression. Age (< 40, 40 – 64, & ≥ 65 years), gender (male & female), race (white, blacks or African Americans, Asians, & Others), insurance status (insured & uninsured), BMI (obese and non-obese), and ratio of income to poverty (< 1 & ≥ 1) were the predictors of interest. A sampling weight was applied in the analysis. Baseline characteristics were reported as mean (SD) and count (percentage). A binary logistic regression was used to assess the predictors of depression in the adults with CFS.

Results: We identified 613 respondents which represented 2.5 million US adults with chronic fatigue syndrome. Mean (SD) years was 53.7 (0.8) years, 416 (66.3%) were females, and 480 (80.6) were of white race. About 415 (68.9%) of them were living with depression. As compared to respondents who were ≥ 65 years, those who were < 40 years were four and a half times more likely to report depression (OR 4.6, CI 2.3 – 9.2; p< 0.001) while those who were 40 – 64 years of age were twice likely to report depression (OR 2.00, CI 1.25 – 3.19; p=0.004). As compared to their counterparts, respondents who were male (OR 0.69, CI 0.44 – 1.09; p=0.113), obese (OR 0.90, CI 0.58 – 1.41; p=0.658), insured (OR 1.08, CI 0.35 – 3.31; p=0.900), with a college degree (OR 0.75, CI 0.45 – 1.27; p=0.291), and a ratio of income to poverty of  ≥ 1 (OR 1.67, CI 0.96 – 2.90; p=0.067) were not more likely to report depression. The race of respondents with CFS did not statistically predict being depressed. 

Conclusion: Among adults with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome(CFS), more than half of them have comorbid depression. This relationship is especially pronounced in middle-aged and older adults. This finding underscores the importance of thoroughly assessing patients with CFS, with particular attention to these age groups to ensure they receive optimal care.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/correlates-of-depression-in-individuals-with-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/