• Sanne L Nijhof, Gijs Bleijenberg, Cuno S P M Uiterwaal, Jan L L Kimpen, and Elise M van de Putte.
• Department of Paediatrics, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Netherlands. s.l.nijhof@umcutrecht.nl
• Lancet. 2012 Apr 14; 379 (9824): 1412-8.

BackgroundChronic fatigue syndrome is characterised by persistent fatigue and severe disability. Cognitive behavioural therapy seems to be a promising treatment, but its availability is restricted. We developed Fatigue In Teenagers on the interNET (FITNET), the first dedicated internet-based therapeutic program for adolescents with this disorder, and compared its effectiveness with that of usual care.MethodsAdolescents aged 12-18 years with chronic fatigue syndrome were assigned to FITNET or usual care in a 1:1 ratio at one tertiary treatment centre in the Netherlands by use of a computer-generated blocked randomisation allocation schedule. The study was open label. Primary outcomes were school attendance, fatigue severity, and physical functioning, and were assessed at 6 months with computerised questionnaires. Analysis was by intention to treat. Thereafter, all patients were offered FITNET if needed. This trial is registered, number ISRCTN59878666.Findings68 of 135 adolescents were assigned to FITNET and 67 to usual care, and 67 and 64, respectively, were analysed. FITNET was significantly more effective than was usual care for all dichotomised primary outcomes at 6 months-full school attendance (50 [75%] vs 10 [16%], relative risk 4·8, 95% CI 2·7-8·9; p<0·0001), absence of severe fatigue (57 [85%] vs 17 [27%], 3·2, 2·1-4·9; p<0·0001), and normal physical functioning (52 [78%] vs 13 [20%], 3·8, 2·3-6·3; p<0·0001). No serious adverse events were reported.InterpretationFITNET offers a readily accessible and highly effective treatment for adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome. The results of this study justify implementation on a broader scale.FundingNetherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development.Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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