Tag: Chronic Cough

Symptoms Of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Women are 2 to 4 times more diagnosed with symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome than men. However, it isn’t a factor to be considered for the condition. Experts believe that it could be that more women report their conditions more than men do to the doctor. The syndrome affects most people who are in their 40s or 50s, but chronic fatigue illness is a health problem that individuals of all ages can be affected with.

The problem with this syndrome is definite risk factors are yet to be determined and confirmed by the doctors as there is no exact cause known to trigger the illness. The most common condition that affects the patient is a flu-like illness, which, in most times, drains the energy and lasts for years. And another problem with it is even the people who are previously full of energy and healthy can be targets of various chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms.

The common signs and symptoms associated to CFS are similar to typical viral infections. However, unlike these infections, they can last longer than just a few days. The tricky part is the symptoms can appear and go as frequently without identifiable pattern. The persistent fatigue is accompanied by other primary symptoms and signs. These include:

Sore throat, expanded lymph nodes in the armpits or neck
Muscle soreness or pains, join pains, redness or swelling
New headache type
Sleep disturbance
Loss of concentration, and even memory
Extreme physical exhaustion that lasts 24 hours following mental or physical exercise.

Other signs and symptoms are abdominal pain, bloating, allergies, chest pain, diarrhea, chronic cough, dizziness, fainting, and balance problems, dry mouth, jaw pain, nausea, irregular heartbeat, earache, night sweats and chills, weight loss/gain, breath shortage, visual disturbances, and tingling sensations. There are also psychological problems added, such as irritability, panic attacks, anxiety disorders, and depression.

Chronic fatigue syndrome can also produce possible complications. They can be depression, adverse reactions and side effects from medical treatments or de-conditioning, lifestyle restrictions, social isolation, and missing work.

Most doctors, scientists, and researches believe that the patient can be diagnosed with the syndrome when a minimum of four symptoms or persistent fatigue have occurred for or over six months.

When to Ask for Medical Advice

It is time to seek medical advice when excessive fatigue or the symptoms, such as psychological disorders and infections, continue to persist. If the condition is preventing you from participating in normal daily activities, whether at home, at work or at school, you need to see a qualified doctor to give you medical attentions.

Emotional Support to the Patients

If you suffer with symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, they may peak early on and can become bothersome and then gradually decrease over time. To some other patients, recovering can occur completely while others go worse. Whatever the condition of the patient, it is advised that counseling and emotional support from family and friends know how to deal with restrictions and uncertainties resulting from chronic fatigue syndrome.

The patient is best to go if they can join any support group or meet people, depending on the case, to avoid worsening the condition. But in the case that the condition is different and support groups do not make the patient comfortable, it is better to leave them alone than add to the stress.

Chronic Fatigue Diagnosis

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, more commonly known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a disorder or groups of disorders that is characterized by the onset of fatigue that persists for more than 6 months. It is characterized by a host of symptoms that range from muscle and joint pains to decreased ability to perform even the least demanding activities.

This syndrome is diagnosed by examining the symptoms of an individual against two groups of symptoms which are commonly demonstrated by CFS patients.

The first sign that healthcare professionals look for is the persisting chronic fatigue that is not related to any other condition that results to exhaustion. Tolerance to fatigue among CFS patients is very low, thus they get severely exhausted after performing even the simplest and least demanding of tasks. In fact, it is not uncommon for CFS patients to move from one place to another without feeling drained.

Most of them also get sick for several days to several weeks after performing minor activities. Most of them also exhibit flu-like symptoms after performing low intensity tasks.

The second criteria for establishing the presence of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is the onset of four of any of the following symptoms: myalgia or muscle pains, arthralgia or joint pains in multiple locations, head aches of more serious severity, persistent soar throat which recurs, tenderness of the cervical and axillary lymph nodes, impaired short-term memory and concentration, malaise which is experienced after physical exertion, and sleep disturbance.

Other symptoms that healthcare professionals look for are abdominal pain, bloating, dizziness, nausea, chronic cough, chest pains, shortness of breath, dryness of the mouth and eyes, weight loss, onset of minor and major psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, irritability and panic attacks, diarrhea, alcohol intolerance and skin and tingling sensations.

Diagnosis is facilitated only after all conditions that are known to produce the aforementioned symptoms are ruled out. In general, healthcare professionals encounter difficulty in diagnosing chronic fatigue syndromes due to the similarities and generality of symptoms it presents. Apart from the fact that fatigue is a common result of many diseases, it is also a very common sign of most chronic conditions. CFS also presents no symptoms that are visible and obvious enough for easy identification.

On top of these, there are also no diagnostic and laboratory tests that can help in establishing the presence of the disorder. Patients of CFS also display varying symptoms and level of severity which makes most patient experience differences in symptoms and severity. However through exclusion of the following factors, most doctors can arrive at a diagnosis:

1. The presentation of identifiable conditions that result to fatigue and decreased level of activities. Most doctors look for symptoms of hypothyroidism, a condition wherein the thyroid produces lower levels of thyroid hormones. Other notable conditions that may exhibit symptoms similar with CFS are lupus, Lyme disease, multiple sclerosis, bipolar disorder, mononucleosis or kissing disease, depression and diabetes.

2. The usage of medications that result to fatigue. Obviously, there are a number of medications, drugs and substances that can cause physical exhaustion.

3. Recurrence of previous diseases, disorders and illness that can produce extreme exhaustion such as cancer.

4. Substance abuse, more specifically excessive alcohol consumption.

5. Obesity which is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) or more than 45.