POST-VIRAL FATIGUE SYNDROME

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This condition develops after a viral infection. Patients have symptoms of severe fatigue, with aches and pains in their muscles. Everything is an effort. They can be depressed, anxious, unable to concentrate and with a poor memory.The exact causes are unknown, but the syndrome is thought to develop following a viral infection of some sort. It is a very debilitating illness, often affecting young adults, who may be unable to work when the symptoms are severe. It has also suffered from not being taken seriously by some doctors and sections of the media, who have dismissed it as ‘yuppie flu’.Research on post-viral fatigue syndrome with evening primrose oil63 patients diagnosed as having post-viral fatigue syndrome were entered in a study at the Department of Neurology and Pathology at the University of Glasgow. There were 27 men and 36 women, the average age being 40. They were selected because they had particularly bad symptoms, which had been present for at least one year and no longer than three years.Their symptoms, which all followed a definite viral infection, were overwhelming fatigue made worse by exercise, aches and pains in their muscles, and depression, with poor concentration and short-term memory. Also, all the patients complained at some time of palpitations, shooting pains in the chest, and unsteadiness. Before their illness, they had considered themselves in good physical health.Half the patients were given the treatment, which consisted of Efamol Marine (evening primrose oil and concentrated fish oil) 8 x 500mg capsules per day. The other half were given a placebo. The trial was double blind, and lasted three months. None of the patients was on any other treatment during this time.The patients were assessed before the trial started, and then at one and three months after treatment. The following symptoms were scored at each visit: fatigue, aching muscles, dizziness, poor concentration, and depression. Also, it was noted whether the patient felt better, worse, or no different compared to when the trial began.The levels of essential fatty acids in the blood of both groups of patients were measured at the start of the trial, then again at one month and three months.ResultsAt the end of the trial, 85% of the group on Efamol Marine assessed themselves as improved, compared to 17% in the control group. The treated group continued to improve, whereas the control group went back to how they were at the beginning.This is the first time that any drug has been shown to improve post-viral fatigue syndrome in a placebo-controlled study.Essential fatty acids measurements for all the patients were abnormal at the start of the trial. At the end of the trial period they had become near normal or normal for the treated group, but remained abnormal for the control group.None of the patients was cured, but the improved group did feel able to go back to work, or take up their previous activities. Relatives generally remarked how much better they were.*48/60/5*

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