Diagnosing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Comedienne Gilda Radner was mistakenly diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, which delayed the discovery of the ovarian cancer that eventually killed her. That's one of the worst-case scenarios that can occur with CFS. So if you suspect you may have chronic fatigue syndrome, be sure your physician has ruled out any other condition that can cause similar symptoms.Because there's no diagnostic test for CFS, the Centers for Disease Control established guidelines in 1994 for its diagnosis. According to the guidelines, you must have severe chronic fatigue lasting six months or longer with other known medical conditions excluded by clinical diagnoses. And you should have four or more of the following symptoms concurrently:
- substantial impairment in short-term memory or concentration
- sore throat
- tender lymph nodes
- muscle pain
- pain, without swelling or redness, in multiple joints
- headaches of a new type, pattern, or severity
- unrefreshing sleep
- malaise that occurs after exertion and lasts more than 24 hours.
In the next section, we'll examine what symptoms to look for if you suspect you have chronic fatigue syndrome.
This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.
