Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Introduction: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a syndrome that has only recently been described by the medical profession. Once controversial, it is gradually becoming accepted as a valid diagnosis by medical professionals. Typically CFS follows a viral infection (e.g. cold or viral stomach bug), and is sometimes found after mononucleosis infections. Non-specific symptoms of fatigue, tiredness, exhaustion, and aches make CFS difficult to diagnose and similar to other conditions such as lupus, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia and Lyme disease (among others). CFS and fibromyalgia share many common characteristics, and may be misdiagnosed as each other, and either condition is often misdiagnosed as depression.

Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• Fatigue
• Persistent fatigue
• Intermittent fatigue
• Fatigue from exertion
• Tiredness

See full list of 63 symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome:

• Fatigue: Related Home Tests:
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  • Home Thyroid Function Tests
  • Home Adrenal Function Tests
  • Home Calcium Deficiency Tests
  • Home HIV Tests
• Thyroid: Home Testing:
  • Home TSH Tests
  • Home Adrenal Function Tests
• Adrenal Gland Health: Home Testing:
• Sleep Disorders: Home Testing
  • Home Sleep Tests
  • Sleep Apnea Tests

Medical Textbooks Online about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Wrongly Diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

• Misdiagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Failure to diagnose Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Underlying causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (possibly wrongly diagnosed)
• Failure to diagnose Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Misdiagnosis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

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Read more about Misdiagnosis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• Viral infection - CFS may arise as a delayed reaction to a virus.
• Mononucleosis - CFS may arise after mononucleosis infection.

Read more about causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

More information about causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome:

• Triggers for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Underlying causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as a complication caused by other conditions
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as a symptom
• Medical news summaries relating to Causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Treatments for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• Symptomatic treatments
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• Ibuprofen
• Nonsedating antihistamines
• Balanced diet

See full list of 12 treatments for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Videos for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Patient Surveys for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• Patient Profile Survey
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• Survey about the symptoms of your Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
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Prognosis for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

More about prognosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Reseach about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Visit our research pages for current research about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome treatments.

Clinical Trials for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome include:

• The Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Ampligen in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Ampligen
• Glucocorticoid Effects on Cellular Cytokine Release - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Study of the Hypothalmic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis and Its Role in Major Depression - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Compare the Medical Conditions of Gulf War Veterans to Non-Deployed Veterans - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Genetics of Fibromyalgia - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)

See full list of 9 Clinical Trials for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Statistics for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• Medical statistics for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Death and Mortality statistics for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Society statistics for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Stories from Users Related to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

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User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
• See all the forums.

Article Excerpts about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID (Excerpt)

We all get tired. Many of us at times have felt depressed. But the mystery known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is not like the normal ups and downs we experience in everyday life. The early sign of this illness is a strong and noticeable fatigue that comes on suddenly and often comes and goes or never stops. You feel too tired to do normal activities or are easily exhausted with no apparent reason. Unlike the mind fog of a serious hangover, to which researchers have compared CFS, the profound weakness of CFS does not go away with a few good nights of sleep. Instead, it slyly steals your energy and vigor over months and sometimes years. (Source: excerpt from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: NWHIC (Excerpt)

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or CFS, is characterized by persistent and debilitating fatigue and additional nonspecific symptoms such as sore throat, headache, tender muscles, joint pain, difficulty thinking and loss of short-term memory. 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. No laboratory test or panel of tests is available to diagnose CFS so the diagnosis is made solely on clinical grounds. The cause of CFS is unknown. (Source: excerpt from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: NWHIC)

Definitions of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome:

Characterized by physical symptoms and demonstrable structural or physiological changes in which emotional factors are believed to play a major etiologic role. - (Source - Diseases Database)

Nervous breakdown (not in technical use) - (Source - WordNet 2.1)

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or a subtype of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Ophanet, a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet