Fatigue: Epidemiology and social/industrial aspects

Abstract

There is no doubt that the symptoms of fatigue are costly for both society and for the individual. Fatigue is found in a spectrum of diseases and illnesses caused by pathology in biological systems, but also by environmental factors which directly or indirectly influence biological systems in the human body. Although it has been known for a long time that more women than men suffer from this group of illnesses, little research has focused on the influence of gender, e.g., the circumstances which women and men live under, on the outcome of fatigue-related health problems. The complex interaction between different regulatory systems connecting body, soul, and mind is clearer today as molecular techniques are being developed. Data on a genetic linkage to chronic fatigue have also been established. © 2008 Springer Japan.