All of us do feel tired after working for long hours or when we have immediately recovered from some disease. This is very natural. But for some people this can be damaging. Their fatigue becomes out of control and a cause of alarm. This is known as chronic fatigue syndrome.
Based on a study of adults in the United States in the year 1999, chronic fatigue syndrome was detected affecting approximately 4 per 1,000 adults. For unknown reasons, chronic fatigue syndrome occurs more often in women, and in adults in the age group of 40s and 50s. It is less seen in children and adolescents, but exceptions might occur.
Course of attack of the chronic fatigue syndrome
Sudden onset cases:
Most of the time chronic fatigue syndrome starts suddenly. This is usually accompanied with flu, or respiratory illnesses like bronchitis that never fully recover. This attack generally occurs in the winter months. Usually most of the time this is an after effect of severe stress for a period of time. Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome is sometimes the early stage of chronic fatigue syndrome. Sometimes vaccination and blood transfusion leads to chronic fatigue syndrome.
Gradual onset cases:
Some times this syndrome affects gradually, spreading over years. This is specially seen with patients having Lyme disease. But since the symptoms of both are somewhat same, there is great controversy regarding this.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptoms
There are as many as 8 major symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. They are as follows:
Fatigue: Recurring physical and mental fatigue that cannot be explained. This decreases the activity level, and is not cured through rest like normal fatigue.
Post-exert ional malaise: Loss of physical and mental stamina, rapid muscular and cognitive tiredness, tired after little exertion and pain are the common symptoms of this disease.
Sleep dysfunction: Loss of sleep completely or disturbed sleep is yet another symptom of this disease.
Pain: Migratory pains in muscles, joints, headaches, and lymph node pain, sore throats, abdominal pain, bone, eye, testicular pain, nerve pain, painful skin sensitivity, and irritable bowel syndrome are associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.
Neurological/cognitive manifestations: These are confusion, forgetfulness, mental, loss of concentration, disorientation, word retrieval, perceptual and sensory disturbances, difficulty with information processing, ataxia, muscle weakness, and so on.
Autonomic manifestations: These include orthostatic intolerance, neurally delayed postural hypotension, light-headedness, extreme pallor, nausea and irritable bowel syndrome, mediated hypotension, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, frequency of urination, and bladder dysfunction, loss of breath, and palpitation among others.
Neuroendocrine manifestations: High temperature or loss of thermostatic stability, abnormal body temperature and marked fluctuation, sweating, feverishness and cold, intolerance of extremes of heat and cold, digestive disturbances, fluctuating weight, anorexia or abnormal appetite, etc are associated with this ailment.
Immune manifestations: Tender lymph nodes, sore throat, recurrent flu, general malaise, etc are common symptoms of this disease.
The most important symptom of patients suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome is reduction in the level of activity, both physical and mental. These patients are easily tired and lose interest in any sort of movement or activity. Even if they show interests, as have been seen in certain cases, theses patients are seen to lose interest as well as abilities to be a part of active work or even conversations.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Causes
Though any particular cause behind chronic fatigue syndrome has not yet been detected, there are several reasons that can be marked as contributing to this disease. They are as follows:
Neurological abnormalities:
Researchers as well as MRI and SPECT scans have showed evidence of chronic fatigue syndrome as a distinct neurological abnormality.
Dysautonomia:
This is the disruption of the function of the autonomic nervous system (ANS).
Inner-ear disorders:
Meniere's, tumor in the inner ear, or Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) can cause chronic fatigue syndrome.
Psychiatric abnormalities:
Depression as well as stress and trauma can cause this malaise.
Immune dysfunction is yet another major cause while allergies, immunodeficiency and Psychoneuroimmunological interactions are identified to be other causes.
Endocrine dysfunction and any kind of disturbed metabolism might cause this disease.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatment
There is no specific treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome. However medicines as painkillers can be given to relieve a person from symptoms like pain in joints. Overall adapting a healthy lifestyle can ensure that a person suffers less from chronic fatigue syndrome.
