Fatigue can be caused by a variety of illnesses and life stressors, but if that feeling of fatigue lasts for months (often following an infection), it may indicate the following symptoms: chronic fatigue syndrome.
The syndrome currently affects about 3.3 million people in the United States, and about 1 in 4 people are bedridden at some point during their illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Despite its prevalence, experts say the condition is poorly understood and often overlooked by doctors, with past studies finding that only about 15% of affected patients are correctly diagnosed.
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Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), officially known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), chronic disease This results in extreme fatigue that interferes with daily life.
The National Academy of Medicine defines this syndrome as three symptoms that last for at least 6 months:
People may also have problems with thinking and memory (often called “brain fog”) or experience lightheadedness.
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There is no test to confirm chronic fatigue, so doctors diagnose it by talking to the patient, testing, and ruling out other conditions that often share the same symptoms, such as hypothyroidism and depression.
“CFS, fibromyalgia, and long coronavirus They’re all related symptoms with different names,” says Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, author of From Fatigue to Greatness.“— He told Fox News Digital that his research focuses on chronic fatigue syndrome. “What these diseases have in common is that they are immune diseases, and immune diseases primarily affect women.”
There are many genes associated with immune diseases. X chromosomethe doctor added, suggesting a genetic component.
Possible chronic fatigue syndrome caused by infection The causes and symptoms vary widely from person to person, says Julia Oh, Ph.D., professor of dermatology, molecular genetics, microbiology, and integrative immunobiology at Duke University School of Medicine in North Carolina.
Teitelbaum likened the condition to a “severe energy crisis” within the body. When energy is low enough, the “control center” in the brain, hypothalamuswhich regulate sleep, hormones, blood pressure, and pulse, but may not work well.
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Hypothalamic dysfunction can cause dozens of other symptoms, but the hallmark signs are insomnia (despite extreme fatigue), brain fog, and widespread pain, doctors said.
Anything that causes severe energy depletion can cause the syndrome, including chronic life stressors, nutritional deficiencies, thyroid disease, and nutritional deficiencies. Stress hormone imbalancesleep problems.
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Although these triggers are typically associated with the gradual onset of CFS, previous studies have shown that sudden onset can be caused by certain infections, the two classic infections being coronavirus and mononucleosis.
Head and neck trauma and sudden hormonal changes after pregnancy Teitelbaum warned that it can lead to chronic fatigue.
There is currently no blood test to uniformly diagnose the syndrome, but Dr. Oh said he hopes that will change in the future.
Her research team developed an experimental one. Artificial intelligence based toolsearly research published in July in the journal Nature Medicine shows that BioMapAI identifies conditions with high accuracy by analyzing stool, blood, and other common laboratory tests.
“Rather than finding a smoking gun for this disease, our AI model revealed distinct biological fingerprints that were dysregulated in patients, including altered gut bacteria, overactivated immune cells, and metabolic disruption,” Oh told FOX News Digital.
Oh says given how differently chronic fatigue syndrome affects people, there is no universally effective treatment.
The CDC recommends that people with CFS work with their doctors to create a management plan based on the symptoms that most impact their quality of life.
Treatment usually includes a combination of Lifestyle changestreatments and medicines. Patients and their physicians must weigh the potential benefits and risks of any approach.
There are some alternative therapy It has been shown to be effective for some people. Teitelbaum developed a protocol called SHINE that focuses on sleep, hormones and low blood pressure, infections, nutrition, and exercise. Several studies have shown that this approach can help improve the quality of life for CFS and fibromyalgia patients.
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Some people find alternative treatments such as physical therapy (physical therapy) helpful.
People who experience persistent fatigue that interferes with their ability to participate in normal activities or affect their quality of life should consult their doctor.
