Tired children have tired mothers

Mothers of children who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have symptoms comparable to those of their sick children.

This is the first time that families of healthy children and families of children with CFS have been compared. Pediatrician Elise van de Putte of the Wilhelmina Children's Hospital (part of UMC Utrecht) describes these results in her doctoral thesis. In her study, Van de Putte compared the parents of 40 children with CFS between the ages of 12 and 18 with the parents of 36 healthy children. No fewer than nine mothers of children with CFS reported fatigue that was just as severe as in adults with chronic fatigue syndrome. In addition to symptoms of fatigue, most mothers also reported more psychological problems like anxiety and depression.

Van de Putte received a PhD from Utrecht University on September 19. Her thesis is called 'Exploring Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Adolescents'.