Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Published on March 2nd, 2021. Information will be updated
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a disorder that makes the patient very tired and lethargic even when resting. CFS is also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) or systemic exertion intolerance disease (SEID). This disease wasn’t considered as a disease because having fatigue in the past meant being lazy and dozing off all the time. However, it has changed and is currently a medical condition.
Causes
Although the cause of CFS is unknown, physicians and scientists have found factors that may have caused CFS. Some factors for CFS include being infected by a virus(es), having a weakened immune system, taking too much stress, and hormonal imbalances. The first two factors listed are indicating if this disorder came from a pathogen that alters the brain neurotransmitters’ signals that prevent the patient to be active. Viruses such as Epstein-Barr virus, human herpesvirus 6, Ross River virus, and rubella virus are relatively connected with CFS. The last two factors listed indicate the levels of cortisol in the body, and hypothetically speaking, if the cortisol levels are high, then the body won’t function as much creating fatigue. Despite the factors, patients may have CFS due to specific traits that make CFS develop in the body. Most of these factors haven’t been proven by scientists.
Risk Factors
The risk factors for CFS are associated with the causes or factors for CFS. CFS is commonly seen in people in their middle ages such as 40-50 years old. This risk factor is present because as you age, the immune system weakens, so scientists conclude (not entirely) that a weakened immune system could be the cause. Gender is also a huge risk factor as women are twice as likely to have CFS than men. This risk factor is mentioned because women tend to have hormonal imbalances especially when the menstrual cycles are about to begin. This hormonal imbalance may cause stress levels to increase and change chemicals in the brain to make the body more fatigue. Other risk factors include allergies and environmental factors. Allergies can be a conflicting risk factor because people think that having allergies means that you have a weaker immune system, but actually having allergies strengthens your immune system because it is fighting foreign substances in the body. As for environmental factors, I think this can also contribute to allergies because foreign substances come from the environment.
Signs and Symptoms
The symptoms of CFS vary from individual to individual depending on the severity of CFS. However, the most basic and common symptom is when the patient feels so tired that it will affect their activities of daily living (ADLs). People with CFS may experience extreme fatigue after doing something physically or mentally; this would last for more than 24 hours after the activity. Symptoms that can affect sleeping and cognitive thinking include feeling unrefreshed after a night’s sleep, chronic insomnia, loss of memory, lack of concentration, and orthostatic intolerance. Orthostatic intolerance is when a person is sitting or lying down and they get up, the person would feel dizzy, light-headed, and possibly faint. Symptoms that affect physical health include muscle pain, frequent headaches, multi-joint pain without redness or swelling, frequent sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes in the neck and armpits. Individuals can get remissions (symptoms go away) and relapses (symptoms come back) in cycles, so it may be challenging to treat those individuals, but it can be done.
Diagnosis
Unfortunately, this is a very challenging disorder to diagnose because many of the symptoms are similar to the symptoms of other conditions. Additionally, these patients don’t look sick, so physicians are unable to recognize this disorder. Therefore, there are no medical tests to diagnose CFS. However, the physician may eliminate other disorders that could have been caused to the individual’s fatigue. Other conditions similar to CFS symptoms include mononucleosis, Lyme’s disease, multiple sclerosis, lupus, hypothyroidism, fibromyalgia, major depressive disorder, and sleep disorders.
Treatment
Unfortunately, there is no cure for CFS, but there are lifestyle changes that may be performed to improve the symptoms. The patient must limit their caffeine intake to improve their sleep and reduce symptoms of insomnia. Although patients may get into caffeine withdrawal, this can be bearable if you eat a proper diet that energizes the body. The patient must avoid napping in the day so they can sleep properly in the night. In addition, the patient should make a sleeping or nap schedule to improve their sleep. Lastly, patients may start to pace gradually to get into the habit and later perform daily activities again.
Conclusion
Sadly, this is known to be one of the most complex disorders for several reasons. The main reason is that it is not properly diagnosed, so many people could have CFS that aren’t being treated. Secondly, there isn’t a fixed treatment, so the patient must abide by the lifestyle changes recommended to the doctor. Another reason is that the recovery rate is 5%. Now looking at the prognosis, it seems like CFS is either a relatively new disorder or that scientists were not putting any effort in researching the cause of CFS (most likely the first one). I hope in the future that scientists found the solution and can treat CFS appropriately.
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Resources
Sampson, J. (2020, March 12). CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/chronic-fatigue-syndrome.