Objective: To determine whether there is an association between hypotension and incident cases of idiopathic chronic fatigue.
Design: A prospective study.
Setting: Johns Hopkins Precursors Study.
Participants: Medical students (n = 876) in graduating classes from 1948 to 1964.
Main outcome measure: `Easy fatigability' reported by participants at 5- or 10-year follow-up after graduation.
Results: The unadjusted risk in women was 5.0 (95% exact confidence interval = 1.4 to 17.4) and in men was 1.7 (95% exact confidence interval = 0.8, to 3.5).
Conclusion: These preliminary findings suggest that hypotension may be a risk factor for the development of idiopathic chronic fatigue in women.