Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is the most common name given to a poorly understood, variably debilitating disorder or disorders of uncertain causation.
Symptoms of CFS include widespread muscle & joint pain, cognitive difficulties, chronic, often severe mental and physical exhaustion and other characteristic symptoms in a previously healthy and active person. Fatigue is a common symptom in many illnesses, but CFS is a multi-systemic disease and is relatively rare by comparison.[1] Diagnosis requires a number of features, the most common being severe mental and physical exhaustion which is "unrelieved by rest" and is worsened by exertion. Most diagnostic criteria require that symptoms must be present for at least six months, and all state the symptoms must not be caused by other medical conditions. CFS patients may report many symptoms which are not included in all diagnostic criteria,[2] including muscle weakness, cognitive dysfunction, hypersensitivity, orthostatic intolerance, digestive disturbances, depression, poor immune response, and cardiac and respiratory problems. It is unclear if these symptoms represent co-morbid conditions or are produced by an underlying etiology of CFS.[3] The condition may be managed rather than treated, with full resolution in only 5-10% of cases.[
Answered by
Moksha G
, an ibibo Master,
at
6:15 PM on November 28, 2008
