Tuesday, September 16, 2008

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS:

Chronic fatigue syndrome shares symptoms with many other disorders.
• Fatigue for instance, is found in hundreds of illnesses and 10% to 25% of all patients who visit general practitioners complain of prolonged fatigue.

• The nature of the symptoms, however, can help clinicians differentiate CFS from other illnesses.

Primary Symptoms
• As the name Chronic Fatigue Syndrome suggests, this illness is accompanied by fatigue. However, it's not the kind of f fatigue patients experience after a particularly busy day or week, after a sleepless night or after a stressful event. It's a severe, exhausting fatigue that isn't improved by bed rest and that may be exacerbated by physical or mental activity. It's an all-encompassing fatigue that results in a dramatic decline in both activity level and stamina.

• People with CFS function at a significantly lower level of activity than they were capable of prior to becoming ill.

• The illness results in a substantial reduction in occupational, personal, social or educational activities.

• A CFS DIAGNOSIS should be considered in patients who present with six months or more of unexplained fatigue accompanied by other characteristic symptoms.
These symptoms include:
• Cognitive dysfunction, including impaired memory or concentration malaise lasting more than 24 hours (exhaustion and increased symptoms) following physical or mental exercise

• Unrefreshing sleep, joint pain (without redness or swelling), persistent muscle pain

• Headaches of a new type or severity tender cervical or axillary lymph nodes sore throat

No comments: