Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME) [1]
When we talk about CFS or chronic fatigue syndrome ", a lot of different names used interchangeably. This has everything to do with the uncertainty that still exists about the causes, diagnosis and treatment of disease.
ME stands for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. The term dates from 1956 and indicates a condition of brains and spinal cord with muscle pain and fatigue as a major primary symptoms.
PVFS or Post-Viral Fatigue Syndrome: is based on the assumption that the disease is elicited by the body's immune response against one - unidentified virus.
CFIDS stands for Chronic Fatigue (and) Immune Dysfunction Syndrome: it is assumed that chronic fatigue is caused by a disturbed, and in particular by a hyper-reactive immune system.
CFS stands for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. This name has the advantage that it does not refer to possible causes or other identifying characteristics except the ever present fatigue. Until the disease is better understood, described and known it is this "neutral" designation may be preferable. The Dutch translation is CFS: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Chronic fatigue or CFS?
Chronic fatigue in medicine is a common complaint: about 2% of the population it could suffer. The majority of these people, the fatigue caused by a psychiatric disorder (depression, psychosomatieke complaints, anxiety ...), organic problems or a combination of psychological, physical and social factors.
However, only one speaks of CFS (Chronic Fatigue) if chronic fatigue no apparent cause. This would imply that the diagnosis only by exclusion can be made. Since 1994, however, a consensus exists that the criteria for CFS as unambiguously as possible fixes.
Criteria
Main Criterion
To speak of CVS, must be an essential criterion and also to 6 to 8 additional criteria are met.
• The main criterion is a clinically defined, unexplained persistent or recurring fatigue or exhaustion 6 months or longer. The fatigue is a certain (sometimes arguably) when life began and was not present. She is not the consequence of great effort. She disappears or does not reduce to rest. It causes a severe drop in physical and mental performance, and has a great impact on the professional, family and social life.
In addition, other illnesses that can cause chronic fatigue are excluded, including:
-Autoimmune chronic inflammatory diseases (eg multiple sclerosis) or cancer;
-Bacterial, parasitic, or fungal infections HIV;
-Chronic lung, heart, stomach, intestine, liver, kidney, blood or endocrine disorders;
-Neuromuscular disorders;
-Known psychiatric disorders or sleep disorders;
-Effects of drugs, abuse of drugs or alcohol;
Exposure to toxic substances.
• Additional Criteria
From the second criteria, we distinguish between objective and subjective symptoms. More than 6 + 2 objective subjective symptoms, or at least eight symptoms must be met.
Objective symptoms:
• temperature between 37.5 and 38.6 ° C;
• atypical angina (without inflammation moisture);
• tangible painful neck or armpit lymph nodes.
Subjective symptoms:
• chills or fever;
• sore throat and sore neck or okselkleiren;
• generalized muscle weakness or muscle pain;
• muscle weakness for more than 24 hours after exercise remains (which previously was not present);
• staggered muscle pains without inflammation;
• sleep disorders;
• complex problems arise abruptly (within a range of up to 2 days)
• At least one neuropsychiatric complaints
When these strict criteria are employed, would be only 1 to 2 people in 1000 to suffer from CVS, so about one tenth of all people who feel chronically fatigued.
