Study of CFS in GA
CDC has begun a study of CFS and similar illnesses in 13 counties in Georgia. To conduct the study, interviewers are telephoning a randomly selected sample of 17,000 households. Interviewers begin by asking the selected households a short set of questions to identify household members who may have CFS and similar illnesses.
Some of these household members—both fatigued and not fatigued—will be asked to complete more detailed, telephone interviews. A smaller number of these respondents will be offered clinical evaluations, including free medical examinations. These participants will be compensated for their time and given the results of laboratory tests.
By the time the study ends in September 2005, over 7,000 people will have completed the telephone survey, and more than 700 of these respondents will have visited CDC's clinics in Northeast Atlanta or Macon.
Participation in all aspects of the study, including the telephone screening, is voluntary. CDC and Emory University researchers hope that the vast majority of the households contacted will participate. CDC will use the data to estimate the prevalence of CFS, better pinpoint the exact nature of the symptoms, and eventually develop a cure.
Although the cause of CFS remains unknown, this research program has greatly increased knowledge about CFS and other fatiguing illnesses and has helped the health-care community develop viable treatments.
Contact Us:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Rd
Atlanta, GA 30333 - 800-CDC-INFO
(800-232-4636)
TTY: (888) 232-6348 - cdcinfo@cdc.gov
