Gender and Racial Differences in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Twin Study

Abstract

History of traumatic exposure in primary care and epidemiological studies suggest increased risks of chronic fatigue syndrome. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between post-traumatic disorder (PTSD) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) diagnosis among twins. We also examined the impact of sex and birth weight discordance on CFS and PTSD outcomes among twins. A cross-sectional study design was used to analyze the data of twins registered with the Washington State Twin Registry (“n” =18,398). Sociodemographic characteristics such as age, sex, race, and ethnicity were compared between twin pairs with and without CFS. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) and linear regression was used to measure the correlation between twins’ health background. Twins diagnosed with PTSD were 4.1 times more likely to develop CFS compared with those without PTSD (95% CI: 2.52-6.52) and the odds of female twins being diagnosed with CFS is 2.26 times more than male (95%CI: 1.74-2.93). Findings of our study identify PTSD, age, being a female twin, separation from a twin before the age of 18, and being victim to traumatic event such as assault and fire as significant predictors of CFS. We did not find sex discordance or birth weight discordance to be significant predictors of CFS. Results of this research requires a holistic approach to treatment and management.

Keywords:Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; Post-traumatic stress disorders; Birth weight discordance; Sex discordance; Stress Coping

DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/91-01

Publication date:July 31^st 2021