Causes Vague For What Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Several definable and treatable ailments offer symptoms similar to what is chronic fatigue syndrome and testing to cure and rule them out helps in establishing a diagnosis. While there is no single event that has been associated with the onset of what is chronic fatigue syndrome and there is no known treatment or therapy that works.

In order to make a clinical diagnosis a person will have suffered severe chronic fatigue for at least six months with other possible illnesses ruled out by diagnosis. There will also be four or more symptoms at the same time of muscle pain, short-term memory loss or lack of concentration, sore throat and headaches. Defining what is chronic fatigue syndrome may also include soreness in lymph nodes, still feeling fatigued after a good night's sleep and being extremely tired following a brief period of physical activity.

In order to be clinically diagnosed as having what is chronic fatigue syndrome, the symptoms must have been evident for a period of at least six months and their onset would have come after the fatigue was realized. In 1994, researchers developed a new definition of what is chronic fatigue syndrome, as a previous definition from 1988 did not properly account for fatigue caused by other illnesses.

Ruling Out Other Causes Of Fatigue

In order to present an effective diagnosis of what is chronic fatigue syndrome, other ailments that have similar symptoms must first be tested and ruled out. Some of the most common illnesses that present similar symptom include chronic mononucleosis, fibromyalgia and multiple chemical sensitivities, among others with which chronic fatigue is associated.

After testing for and treating symptoms of these ailments, once they are ruled out as the cause of what is chronic fatigue syndrome, the patient is most often considered to have chronic fatigue syndrome. There ii no physical signs of chronic fatigue syndrome nor are there any lab tests that can confirm its presence. It requires a full evaluation by a qualified physician as well as the ruling out of other diseases that cause the same symptoms.

It has been estimated that about 10 million people in the United States suffer symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, but only about one million meet the criteria to define what is chronic fatigue syndrome. It is also estimated that only about 20 percent of those stricken with the ailment have been appropriately diagnosed. While some therapies have some positive effects on sufferers, there is no known cure.