Health Information

Chronic fatigue syndrome - Chronic fatigue syndrome (chronic fatigue syndrome / CFS) is a condition in which the body feeling weak / tired constantly for months or years that do not disappear with rest and sleep.

This syndrome is generally worse in one to two years. In more than half the cases, the condition can be resolved completely after a few years. In some cases, the syndrome come and go for several years.

Chronic fatigue syndrome primarily affects women from age 25 to 45 years, but can also affect children or adults at any age.

Symptom
The frequency and severity of symptoms can vary, but the main symptoms are:

    Severe prolonged fatigue lasting at least six months
    Decrease in short-term memory or concentration
    Sore throat
    Enlarged lymph nodes
    Muscle and joint pain without swelling or inflammation
    Sleep is not refreshing
    Headache

In most cases, symptoms are mild or moderate, but in a minority of symptoms can be severe. Degrees of severity are defined as follows:

    Lightweight: can care for themselves, but may need time off work to rest.
    Medium: reduced mobility, disturbed sleep patterns, and the need to sleep in the afternoon.
    Severe: can perform daily tasks such as brushing lightly, but the difficulty with heavy tasks, difficulty concentrating.

Complication
Nothing.

Cause / Risk Factors
The cause is unknown, it is believed that several different factors can cause chronic fatigue syndrome, including:

    Problems with the immune system
    Hormonal imbalance
    Psychiatric problems, such as depression, stress and emotional trauma
    Problems congenital / genetic like a hyperactive immune system, etc.
    After recovering from a viral infection

Fatigue can also be a symptom of several medical conditions such as:

    Sleep apnea, insomnia or other sleep disorders
    Hypothyroidism
    Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
    Hepatitis
    Anemia
    Heart disease
    Perimenopause
    Nocturnal Asthma
    Allergy
    Alcohol and abuse NAZA
    Cancer

Diagnosis
If you have experience prolonged fatigue for more than six months for no apparent reason, your doctor may suspect chronic fatigue syndrome. There is no standard diagnostic tests that are specific to this problem. In addition to the physical examination, your doctor may also ask you things that are psychologically to determine whether there is a psychological problem. Blood tests can also be performed.

TreatmentThere is no specific treatment for this syndrome. Treatment aims to reduce symptoms. The main treatments include:

    Counseling psychology / psychiatry and antidepressants when the cause is a psychiatric problem
    Structured exercise program called graded exercise therapy
    Drugs to control pain, nausea and sleep problems
    Healthy diet.

Prevention
Nothing.

Prognosis
Depending on severity, patients with chronic fatigue syndrome may be difficult to fulfill household responsibilities and work. Many sufferers are forced to stop working and just taking part-time work. Effective treatment can prevent the severity and accelerate recovery from this condition.