Summary
| Citation | Study group | Study type | Outcome | Treatment effect/mean difference | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nijhof et al (2012) | 67 patients in the intervention group compared with 64 patients in a usual care control group. CDC Criteria for CFS | Individual RCT (Level 1b) | 1. Mean Difference Fatigue Severity score at 6-month follow-up (CIS-20) 2. Mean Difference School Attendance at 6-month follow-up. Per cent of school attended (self-reported) | 1. −18.3 (95% CI −22.9 to −13.7, p<0.0001) 2. 32.6 (95% CI 21.5 to 43.6, p<0.0001) | Treatment arm was more effective than usual care for both outcomes at 6-month follow-up. NNT=1.7 for both outcomes |
| Stulemeijer et al (2005) | 36 patients in the CBT group compared with 35 patients in the control group (usual care and wait list). CDC Criteria for CFS | Individual RCT (Level 1b) | 1. Treatment Effect Fatigue Severity score at 5-month follow-up (CIS-20) 2. Treatment Effect School Attendance at 5-month follow-up. Per cent of school attended (self-reported) | 1. 14.5 (95% CI 7.4 to 21.6), p=0.001) 2. 18.2 (95% CI 0.8 to 35.5, p=0.04) | Larger improvement in school attendance and fatigue severity with CBT compared with control |
| Al-Haggar et al (2006) | 50 patients in the CBT group compared with 46 in the control group (usual care). CDC Criteria for CFS | Individual RCT (Level 2b due to numbers lost to follow-up) | 1. Treatment Effect Fatigue Severity score at the end of trial (CIS-20) 2. Treatment Effect School Attendance at the end of trial. Hours/month (self-reported) | 1. 12.23 (95% CI 7.4 to 14.8, p=0.02) 2. 23.14 (95% CI 20.6 to 26.8, p=0.004) | 159 patients initially but 63 were lost to follow-up. The trial period of 18 months equalled 40–60 sessions of the joint therapy for the intervention group |
CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CFS, chronic fatigue syndrome; RCT, randomised controlled trial.