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Home » Areas of Practice » Labor Laws » Job Hazards » Fatigue

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome (SFS) is a disease that causes extreme tiredness to the extent that common daily tasks can no longer be performed. The fatigue persists for as much as half a year, and physical or mental activity usually makes matters worse. CFS is complicated and difficult to diagnose. For this reason, many people have difficulty believing CFS is truly a disease. If you have been diagnosed with CFS, remember your fatigue is not a joke, and you can develop a plan with your physician to fight it.

Causes

No one knows for sure what causes CFS, but right now, medical experts' best guess is that it stems from a weak immune system or another virus that has yet to be determined. Researchers are still working hard to find what truly causes CFS.

Symptoms

People with CFS experience an overwhelming feeling of tiredness that does want to go away. Other related symptoms include:

  • Headaches
  • Sore throat
  • Tenderness of the neck and armpits
  • Inexplicable muscle pain
  • Pain that migrates between joints without inflammation or redness
  • Memory loss
  • Focusing problems
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Exhaustion that lasts more than a day after strenuous activity

These symptoms may persist or keep returning for as much as six months.

CFS may appear following a simple cold or a period high in stress. The onset may also be gradual with no apparent beginning point or reason. Some people with CFS may not be able to rid themselves of these symptoms for years.

Treatment

First and foremost, your doctor will want to establish whether your fatigue can be directly attributed to something. To do so, the physician will have to review your symptoms and medical records in addition to administering a physical exam. You may also have to undergo some blood tests, but lab work is not usually too helpful when attempting to diagnose CFS.

Some of the associated symptoms like muscle soreness, sleep deprivation, apprehension, and depression can be battled with medication. The medicine may reduce some of the symptoms, which will likely increase your activity, but the fatigue factor will still be present. No medication has been manufactured that will completely cure CFS thus far.