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The effect of C. burnetii infection on the quality of life of patients following an outbreak of Q fever

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 June 2003

T. F. HATCHETTE ,
M. HAYES ,
H. MERRY ,
W. F. SCHLECH  and
T. J. MARRIE
T. F. HATCHETTE
Affiliation:
Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
M. HAYES
Affiliation:
Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
H. MERRY
Affiliation:
Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
W. F. SCHLECH
Affiliation:
Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
T. J. MARRIE
Affiliation:
University of Alberta, 2F1.30 Walter C. Mackenzie Health Sciences Center, 8440 112 St, Edmonton, Alberta, T6H 2B7, Canada
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Abstract

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Sixty-six cases of Q fever were diagnosed in people affiliated with a goat-farming co-operative in rural Newfoundland in the spring of 1999. Follow-up studies which included administration of the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) were conducted 3 and 27 months after the initial outbreak to prospectively follow the effects of acute Q fever on the quality of life of the participants. Twenty-seven months after the outbreak 51% of those who had Q fever reported persistent symptoms including seven participants whose symptoms had initially resolved 3 months after the outbreak. Individuals with Q fever had significantly lower scores on five of the eight scales in the SF-36 and lower scores in the mental and physical summary scales compared to uninfected controls. Although this supports the hypothesis of a ‘post Q fever fatigue syndrome’ (QFFS), further study is warranted.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 130 , Issue 3 , June 2003 , pp. 491 - 495
Copyright
© 2003 Cambridge University Press