Chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as CFS, is characterized by disabling symptoms such as extreme exhaustion or fatigue and trouble sleeping. As a result, many patients diagnosed with CFS also suffer from cognitive problems that can impair memory and cognitive functioning. While the symptoms are recognizable to most doctors, it remains unclear what actually causes chronic fatigue syndrome.
It was not until the 1980s that the first noted cases of CFS were recording in the United States. To this day, doctors and researchers remain divided as to the believed cause for the syndrome. While some believe that CFS may be caused by viral infections, others are not so sure.
Other researchers and doctors have more or less dismissed the condition and written it off as a stress-related problem or a psychosomatic illness. As a result many CFS patients as well as their family and friends continue to be dismissive, thinking the condition is all in the patient’s head.
Common symptoms of CFS:
Recently, an advisory panel to the FDA urged the agency to ban blood donations from patients with CFS in their medical history. It may seem odd, but this was considered good news by sufferers of the condition who felt that CFS was finally being taken seriously.
Unfortunately for CFS patients, less than a week later four additional papers were published suggesting that the earlier studies that lead panel experts to make such a recommendation were more than likely the result of laboratory contamination.
For patients, the news has been frustrating as experts have not come to a consensus on the causes or best treatments for individuals dealing with chronic fatigue syndrome.
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