Abstract

Objectives : Consumption is a chronic wasting disease, in oriental medicine concept. Fatigue is a common symptom experienced by many people who have consumption. However, there has been little study about the relationship between consumption and fatigue in the Oriental medicine. For this reason, we attempted to investigate the present status of fatigue of outpatients, and its relation with consumption index, public health practice index, Chalder fatigue scale and Subjective Symptoms of Fatigue Test. Methods : The subjects were 149 outpatients who complain fatigue between Nov. 1, 2006 and Oct. 31, 2007. We measured degree of consumption by consumption index. We measured degree of fatigue by Chalder fatigue scale and Subjective Symptoms of Fatigue Test. Public health practice were investigated by "Breslow's 7 health practice". Results : Studies have shown that a group who disregard public health practices have higher numerical value, in part of $q\grave{i}-x\bar{u}$, $xu\grave{e}-x\bar{u}$, and Physical symptoms than a group more concerned with public health practice. A group who has fatigue for a period over 6 months are more likely to be $q\grave{i}-x\bar{u}$, $y\bar{i}n-x\bar{u}$, Chalder fatigue scale, neuro-sensory symptoms than a group fatigued for less than 6 months. Among the subjects, 81 (55.5%) were considered as 'fatigue patients' by the Chalder scale. Chalder fatigue scale, according to the Subjective Symptoms of Fatigue Test, consumption also, The more increase of Subjective symptoms of fatigue test, the more of consumption scale. Conclusions : This study has shown that there is a link between consumption and fatigue. Moreover, oriental medicine's consumption is more concrete than fatigue scale, so consumption index will have wide application to the study of fatigue.

Keywords

• public health practice;
• consumption;
• fatigue