Researchers ask for greater community participation in Chronic Fatigue study

The community is being encouraged to continue to support the research

USQ researchers have received an encouraging response to a world-first Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) research project, but are asking for greater community participation in the study.

The project is aimed at discovering a quicker diagnosis for the debilitating illness, with USQ’s Centre for Rural and Remote Area Health (CRRAH) asking for locals aged between 25 and 65 years, who have not smoked in the past two years and are not pregnant to participate in the Bond University-led study.

'So far we had a great response to the project and have about half the number of people that we need,' Senior Research Fellow at CRRAH Dr Rob Eley said.

'There are a number of requirements and participants in the project must be available for 30 minute check-ups every six months for two years, including a blood test, but we are really calling on the Toowoomba community to get behind this and support the research.'

The University needs people in each of three different groups: people diagnosed with CFS, people who constantly feel exhausted and a further group of healthy people.

'We are looking for people in each of these groups to participate in the research,' Dr Eley added.

At present diagnosing CFS is a lengthy process, which costs the community millions of dollars a year in consultations, treatments and lost work hours with diagnosis often drawn-out and frustrating for sufferers because of a lack of suitable pathology tests.

The study is the first step towards developing a commercially viable test kit to diagnose CFS faster and more accurately, as well as establishing guidelines for diagnosis and examine immunological changes between the three groups and identify trends.

'CFS can manifest itself in dozens of different ways, through depression, joint pains and sleep dysfunction just to name a few,' Dr Rob Eley, said.

'At the moment diagnosis involves a list of criteria which is matched off against a patient’s symptoms to see if they can be diagnosed.

'This research could potentially do away with that, whereby a patient would be required to only undergo a blood test, which will lead to a quicker diagnosis.'

Volunteers will complete a health questionnaire before being accepted into the project.

Anyone interested in participating in the study is encouraged to contact CRRAH via their website, or by calling 07 4631 5444.

Contact Details:
Josh Ada, USQ Media, +61 7 4631 2559, 0400 025 429