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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

April 18th, 2009 · 2 Comments

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is the medical name for a condition of extreme and persistent fatigue. Chronic fatigue syndrome can affect people of all ages. CFS is a condition that can drain your energy and sometimes last for several months or years. People previously healthy and full of energy may experience extreme fatigue, weakness and headaches as well as painful joints, muscles and lymph nodes. Most people don’t realize its chronic unless a doctor finds it as part of some other check up.

Here’s a brief video interview with two doctors.

Chronic fatigue syndrome can affect any sex, race or socioeconomic class, however. And although CFS is much less common in children than in adults, children can develop the illness, particularly during the teen years. Chronic fatigue syndrome is a condition which can affect people of all ages. Although it is much better understood now, the causes are still not known and the effects vary from person to person.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a serious health-care problem with a prevalence of up to 3%. Based on research, it appears that Chronic fatigue syndrome is 3 times more common in women than in men. If some treatment is not done, then it can lead to depression and helplessness.

The causes are still not known and the effects vary from person to person.

Chronic fatigue syndrome treatment is possible. But its a diagnosis of exclusion. So it means excluding all other possibilities. A clinical psychologist may be needed as well, so that a proper evaluation can be done. For correct Chronic Fatigue Syndrome diagnosis, a patient must meet the following two criteria:

1) have severe chronic fatigue for 6 months or longer with other known medical conditions excluded by clinical diagnosis. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a state of fatigue lasting six months or longer and is a term given to a variety of debilitating disorders whose cause in uncertain.

2) at the same time, have four or more of the following symptoms:

  • substantial loss of short-term memory or concentration, or difficulty in thinking
  • sore throat
  • tender lymph nodes
  • muscle pain
  • multi joint pain without swelling or redness
  • headaches of a new type, pattern, or severity
  • non-refreshing sleep
  • discomfort after physical activity that lasts more than 24 hours.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is an illness characterized by persistent medically unexplained fatigue.

Initial symptoms mimic the flu: on physical examination, patients may have nonspecific findings such as low-grade fever and redness of the throat, but frequently no abnormalities are found.

When a patient has symptoms of fatigue and the doctor suspects CFS, the tests begin – physical exam, blood tests, urine tests, a mental status exam and a fatigue or symptom inventory. Chronic fatigue syndrome is associated with chronic entero virus infection of the stomach. Enterovirus VP1, RNA and non-cytopathic viruses were detected in the stomach biopsies of CFS patients with chronic abdominal complaints.

You need an extraordinary healing system to defeat chronic fatigue syndrome because CFS is no ordinary disease. Chronic fatigue syndrome is a stressful disease. It is important to get emotional support as well as treatment for your symptoms, and it really helps to reduce the work load and take a step back and focus more on the individual needs for some time, till full energy and strength are regained.

Tags: FAQ · Health Research · Immunity · Infections · Mens Health · Muscular System · Nervous System · Pain Relief · Respiratory System · Sleep · Stress · Weight Loss · Womens Health

2 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Dianne Porter // Apr 18, 2009 at 7:13 pm

    THANK YOU for this article. I was diagnosed w/ CFS/ME in 2003 after suffering with this disease for at least 4 – 5 yrs. My life had turned into a nightmare and I was frankly suicidal. The name does NOT do this illness justice – it is a devastating disease that shows no mercy and can destroy families. It would be easier to have a VISIBLE disease that would at least garner some respect. Naysayers are fortunate that they have NOT suffered from this disease but need to understand that is is REAL, VERY DIFFICULT, AND FRANKLY, DEVASTATING!

  • 2 Health Advisor // Apr 19, 2009 at 9:20 am

    Dear Dianne, thank you for sharing your experience of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) . I am sure it will help other readers of this website understand the importance of taking the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome symptoms seriously. I agree with you, its difficult to identify/ diagnose this disease, hence the principle of exclusion is used for this. Often an experienced doctor will suspect this disease when the patient has gone to cure some other chronic problem – like the ones mentioned in the bullets above.
    Wish you lots of health and happiness ahead!

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