|
What is the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)
Feeling exhausted after a hard day it is a common thing, but feeling tired after walking few blocks, having chronic sore throats and muscle and joint pain because of it can be the a . For months the head feels stuffed with wet sand; trying to read makes words swim on the page; or after a night's sleep the usual feeling is heavy rather than rested.
Also known as chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS) or myalgic encephalomyelitis, chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease of unknown cause. It is a complex disorder characterized by profound fatigue that can’t be ameliorated by bed rest and that may became worse by physical or mental activity.
have a complex, multi-system illness, showing abnormalities in the immune, neurological, endocrine and other systems. The profound exhaustion of a person with chronic fatigue syndrome has no relation with the fatigue that a healthy person feels as the result of a busy life. The definition of fatigue accepted by most groups is fatigue of new onset lasting more than six months with a 50% reduction in activity.
In order to receive a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome, a patient must satisfy two criteria:
1. to have severe chronic fatigue for at least six months with other known medical conditions excluded by clinical diagnosis; and
2. to have at least four of the following symptoms: substantial impairment in short-term memory or concentration; sore throat; tender lymph nodes; muscle pain; multi-joint pain without swelling or redness; headaches of a new type, pattern or severity; unrefreshing sleep; post-exertional malaise lasting more than 24 hours.
In addition, patients may report various nonspecific symptoms, including weakness, insomnia, and post-exertional fatigue lasting more than 24 hours. In some cases, CFS can persist for years.
The cause or causes of CFS have not been identified and no specific diagnostic tests are available, as well as a specific . Researchers have long suspected and searched for a virus as cause. Now it is suspected that chronic fatigue syndrome, like cancer, represents a cluster of clinically distinct diseases whose origins are based on a combination of factors: viruses, environmental toxins, stress and genetic predisposition.
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is major public health problem. It is estimated that in the early 1990s, based on people receiving medical treatment, projected the number of people with chronic fatigue syndrome to be 10 per 100,000. 90 percent of people with the illness are struggling to maintain normal lives. | 
