Subjective and objective cognitive function in adolescent with chronic fatigue following Epstein-Barr virus infection

Objective Cognitive difficulties are among the most disruptive and disabling problems reported by chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) sufferers. Acute Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is a trigger of chronic fatigue (CF) and CFS. The aim of this study was to investigate subjectively reported and objectively measured cognitive functioning in fatigued and non-fatigued adolescents six months after EBV infection. Methods A total of 195 adolescents (12–19 years) with acute EBV infection were followed prospectively for six months, after which they were grouped as chronically fatigued (CF+) and non-fatigued (CF−) cases based on questionnaire score; the CF+-group was further subgrouped according to CFS diagnosis. A group of 70 healthy controls was also included. Groups were cross-sectionally compared on objective measures of processing speed, executive functions and memory, and subjective cognitive functioning. Results There were no group differences regarding objective cognitive measures, but the CF+-group reported significantly (p