Low response to placebo in chronic fatigue

By Geoff Michaels, June 15th, 2013 | Health | 0 Comments

A review shows that people with chronic fatigue are less likely to respond to placebo than those with other condition.
Chronic fatigue is marked by a profound feeling of malaise, pain, and sleep and mood disturbances. It is unclear what causes the condition and it is hard to treat.

A team at King’s College, London, reports that people with chronic fatigue have a lower than expected response to placebo. Even though a placebo contains no active ingredients, it is still common for around 30 per cent of patients to respond to them in clinical trials. The reason for the placebo effect is unclear - it may have something to do with natural improvement in a condition or the patient’s belief that whatever they take will do them good.

For those with chronic fatigue, response to placebo was only around 20 per cent. This may be a reflection of how hard it is to treat this condition, the researchers say. Meanwhile, the review also reveals that behavioral therapy and graded exercise are effective in treating chronic fatigue. Maybe this finding can give those with this difficult condition some hope.