Similarities and differences between health-related quality of life in patients with exhaustion syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome

Background: Patients with exhaustion syndrome (ES), the clinical equivalent of long-lasting burnout, and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) report overlapping symptoms such as exhaustion, fatigue, cognitive deficits and intolerance to stressors. Additionally, patients with CFS experience somatic symptoms, including bodily pain, immune symptoms, and post-exertional malaise. Clinically, patients with CFS often have reduced functioning as compared to ES, but studies comparing quality of life have not been reported. Purpose: To compare quality of life between patients with ES (n = 31), CFS (n = 38) and healthy controls (HC) (n = 30) by using the Short Form 36 questionnaire (SF-36) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results: Patients with CFS scored lower in all quality of life dimensions on the SF-36 as compared to the ES and HC groups, except for the role emotional and mental health subscales. Patients with ES scored lower on the subscales of physical role, vitality, social functioning and role emotional as compared to HC. Physical Component Summary scores were lower in CFS, while the Mental Component Summary scores were lower in ES as compared to CFS and HC. Higher scores for depression symptoms on the HADS and group membership explained the major part of variance. Conclusion: Findings indicated both similarities and differences on the SF-36 in patients with ES as compared to CFS. Both groups showed a substantial reduction in quality of life as compared to controls. Perhaps surprisingly, mental health was less affected in patients with CFS. Emotional status appears to be important in affecting health-related quality of life in both illnesses.