Chronic fatigue is difficult to diagnose – experts

THE festive season is long over and so is the first month of the year but some people still feel tired.

Maybe it could be chronic fatigue syndrome.

Towards the last quarter of each year, many people complain of tiredness and they attribute it to being “that time of the year when everyone is tired and needs a break”.

Now long after the Christmas holidays, family vacations and muchneeded rest, it’s February and some people are still presenting the same symptoms.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating disorder characterised by extreme fatigue or tiredness that does not go away with rest, and cannot be explained by an underlying medical condition.

An East London-based GP, Dr Siya Bungane, said there was no scientific or medical diagnosis for CFS.

“The symptoms are so scattered that as doctors we cannot pin it down. It is a diagnosis of exclusion. When a patient presents certain symptoms we will examine and do tests, once we exclude other diagnosis we then say it’s chronic fatigue syndrome,” he said.

Bungane said because there was no known cause, treating CFS varies.

“We normally prescribe placebo medication like multivitamins,” he added.

According to healthline.com some of the symptoms associated with CFS include the following:

● Loss of memory or concentration;

● Feeling night’s sleep;

● Chronic insomnia sleep disorders); ● Muscle pain; ● Frequent headaches; ● Multijoint pain without redness or swelling; and

● Frequent sore throat. unrefreshed after (and a other

Because CFS is still not widely understood, researchers around the world have various treatments for the condition.

The Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit medical practice and medical research group based in Minnesota, says some therapeutic ways of treating CFS are:

● Pace yourself: Keep your activity on an even level. If you do too much on your good days, you may have more bad days;

● Reduce stress: Develop a plan to avoid or limit overexertion and emotional stress. Allow yourself time each day to relax; and

● Improve sleep habits: Go to bed and get up at the same time each day. Limit daytime napping and avoid caffeine, alcohol and nicotine.

East London’s Dr Theuns Janse van Rensburg echoed Bungane’s sentiments.

“There are many people who present with this condition. However, it is difficult to diagnose because diagnosis is by exclusion. We certainly cannot diagnose a patient in one consultation. Some patients end up on antidepressants because of this condition,” he said.

The Mayo Clinic said many people who have chronic fatigue syndrome are also depressed.

Treating the depression can make it easier for patients to cope with the problems associated with chronic fatigue syndrome. Low doses of some antidepressants also can help improve sleep and relieve pain. —