chronic fatigue syndrome

Common debilitating condition characterized by a diffuse range of symptoms present for at least six months including extreme fatigue, muscular pain, weakness, depression, poor balance and coordination, joint pains, and gastric upset. It is usually diagnosed after exclusion of other diseases and frequently follows a flulike illness.

The cause of CFS remains unknown, but it is believed to have its origin in a combination of viral, social, and psychological factors. Theories based on one specific cause (such as Epstein-Barr virus) have been largely discredited. There is no definitive treatment, but with time the symptoms become less severe. Depression is treated if present, and recent research has demonstrated the effectiveness of cognitive therapy.

The term myalgic encephalomyelitis was replaced with the more accurate term CFS because sufferers do not have encephalomyelitis (inflammation of the muscle membranes) and many do not have myalgia (muscle pain). Stereotypes of the typical sufferer being a middle-class, middle-aged woman have also been found to be unjustified. CFS is not a new phenomenon, with cases documented worldwide for more than 50 years.