Post-viral fatigue syndrome
| Chronic fatigue syndrome | |
|---|---|
| Synonyms | Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), post-viral fatigue syndrome (PVFS), chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS), systemic exertion intolerance disease (SEID), others |
| Specialty | Neurology, rheumatology, psychiatry |
| Symptoms | Long-term fatigue,worsening of symptoms with activity |
| Causes | Unknown |
| Diagnostic method | Based on symptoms |
| Treatment | Symptomatic (cognitive behavioral therapy, gradual increase in activity) |
| Frequency | 7–3,000 per 100,000 adults |
| Classification |
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| External resources |
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also referred to as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), is a medical condition characterized by long-term fatigue and other symptoms that limit a person's ability to carry out ordinary daily activities.
Biological, genetic, infectious, and psychological mechanisms have been proposed, but the cause is not understood. Diagnosis is based on a person's symptoms. The fatigue is not due to strenuous ongoing exertion, is not much relieved by rest, and is not due to a previous medical condition. Fatigue is a common symptom in many illnesses, but the unexplained fatigue and severity of functional impairment in CFS is comparatively rare.
There is no cure, with treatment being symptomatic. No medications or procedures have been approved in the United States. Evidence suggests that cognitive behavioral therapy and a gradual increase in activity suited to individual capacity can be beneficial in some cases. In a systematic review of exercise therapy, no evidence of serious adverse effects was found; however data was insufficient to form a conclusion. Tentative evidence supports the use of the medication rintatolimod. This evidence, however, has been deemed insufficient for FDA approval for this use in the United States.
Estimates of the number of persons with the condition vary from 7 to 3,000 per 100,000 adults. About 836,000 to 2.5 million Americans, and 250,000 people in the UK have CFS. CFS occurs more often in women than in men. 2 in 100 children are estimated to struggle with CFS, and it is more prevalent in adolescent than younger children. There is agreement that CFS has a negative effect on health, happiness and productivity but there is also controversy over many aspects of the disorder. Physicians, researchers and patient advocates promote different names and diagnostic criteria, while evidence for proposed causes and treatments is often contradictory or of low quality.
The most commonly used diagnostic criteria and definition of CFS for research and clinical purposes were published by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC currently recommends the following criteria for diagnosis:
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