Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
According to the Center for Disease Control, chronic fatigue symptoms now affect more than 18 million people between the ages of 17 and 69. CFS is twice as common in women as in men.
CFS exhibits signs and symptoms similar to those of most common viral infections. Unlike flu (influenza) symptoms, which usually subside in a few days or weeks, the signs and symptoms of CFS can last for months or years. They may come and go frequently with no identifiable pattern.
Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS), is characterized by the following factors:
- Extreme fatigue
- Muscle and joint aches and pains
- Muscle weakness
- Chronic headaches
- Swollen glands
- Periodic fevers and chills
- Sore throat
- Numbness and tingling of the extremities
- Inability to cope with any stress
- Cognitive dysfunction
- Insomnia
In addition to persistent fatigue not caused by other known medical conditions, CFS has eight possible primary symptoms. These include:
- Loss of memory or concentration
- Sore throat
- Painful and mildly enlarged lymph nodes in your neck or armpits (axillae)
- Unexplained muscle soreness
- Pain that moves from one joint to another without swelling or redness
- Headache of a new type, pattern or severity
- Sleep disturbance
- Extreme exhaustion after normal exercise
According to the International Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Study Group — a group of scientists, researchers and doctors brought together by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to determine a standard method for defining and diagnosing CFS — a person meets the diagnostic criteria of CFS when unexplained persistent fatigue occurs for six months or more with at least four of the eight primary symptoms also present.
In addition, people with CFS have reported other various signs and symptoms that aren't part of the official definition of CFS determined by the International Chronic Fatigue Study Group. These include:
- Abdominal pain
- Alcohol intolerance
- bloating
- Chest pain
- Chronic cough
- Diarrhea or Constipation
- Dizziness
- Dry eyes and mouth
- Earache
- Irregular heartbeat
- Jaw pain
- Morning stiffness
- Nausea
- Night sweats
- Shortness of breath
- Tingling sensations
- Weight loss
- Psychological problems such as depression, irritability, anxiety disorders and panic attacks
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