Table 1 Demographic and behavioural information of the study participants in the final analysis for post-infectious ME/CFS (PI-ME/CFS) group.

From: Distinct white matter alteration patterns in post-infectious and gradual onset chronic fatigue syndrome revealed by diffusion MRI

Characteristics

PI-ME/CFS

participants (n = 43)

Healthy controls

(HCs, n = 43)

p values

Female/male

37/6

37/6

n/a

Age (years)

42.58 ± 12.41 [24, 65]

40.19 ± 8.29 [19, 58]

0.67

BMI (kg/m2)

25.16 ± 4.16 [17.18, 34.66]

25.51 ± 4.33 [17.36, 35.38]

0.82

MET rate

1.29 ± 0.14 [1.04, 1.74]

1.32 ± 0.14 [1, 1.60]

0.10

MRI scan time

11.81 ± 1.72 [8.05, 15.60]

11.61 ± 1.75 [7.43, 16.10]

0.55

HADS-anxiety

7.40 ± 4.01 [0, 15]

4.51 ± 2.87 [0, 14]

< 0.001

HADS-depression

6.21 ± 3.80 [0, 16]

2.00 ± 2.69 [0, 11]

< 0.001

SF-36 - MCS

44.52 ± 7.03 [30.29, 58.09]

53.02 ± 5.60 [38.57, 60.36]

< 0.001

SF-36 - PCS

35.87 ± 9.98 [15.83, 57.23]

58.46 ± 7.23 [35.43, 68.30]

< 0.001

Global PSQI

9.15 ± 3.32 [2, 17]

4.91 ± 3.35 [0, 14]

< 0.001

BDS

42.56 ± 15.44 [20, 90]

95.12 ± 11.42 [50, 100]

< 0.001

Disease severity

3.12 ± 1.26 [1, 5]

n/a

n/a

Disease duration (years)

13.51 ± 10.60 [0.75, 45]

n/a

n/a

  1. Note – The data are presented as mean ± standard deviation [lower bound, higher bound]. Continuous variables were compared using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. All reported p-values were based on t-tests. MRI scan times were reported in 24-hour decimal format, such as 15.60 represents 3:36 PM. ME/CFS = myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome; BMI = body mass index; MET = metabolic equivalents (one MET is defined as the energy used in resting or sitting still); HADS = Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; SF-36 = 36-item Short-Form; MCS = mental component summary; PCS = physical component summary; PSQI = Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; BDS = Bell’s Disability Scale. Disease severity score 1 is referred to as Mild, score 2 is referred to as Mild-Moderate, score 3 is referred to as Moderate, score 4 is referred to as Moderate-Severe, and score 5 is referred to as Severe.
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