Also called: Also called: CFS
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a disorder that causes extreme fatigue. This fatigue is not the kind of tired feeling that goes away after you rest. Instead, it lasts a long time and limits your ability to do ordinary daily activities.
Symptoms of CFS include fatigue for 6 months or more and experiencing other problems such as muscle pain, memory problems, headaches, pain in multiple joints, sleep problems, sore throat and tender lymph nodes. Since other illnesses can cause similar symptoms, CFS is hard to diagnose.
No one knows what causes CFS. It is most common in women in their 40s and 50s, but anyone can have it. It can last for years. There is no cure for CFS, so the goal of treatment is to improve symptoms. Medicines may treat pain, sleep disorders and other problems.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/pain/disorders/031.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/pain/disorders/031.printerview.html
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Basic Facts(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/cfsbasicfacts.htm
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What to Expect When You Visit the Doctor
(National Institutes of Health, Office of Research on Women's Health) - http://orwh.od.nih.gov/cfs/aboutDoctor.html
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/chronic-fatigue-syndrome/DS00395/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Diagnosing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/cfsdiagnosis.htm
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What to Expect When You Visit the Doctor(National Institutes of Health, Office of Research on Women's Health) - http://orwh.od.nih.gov/cfs/aboutDoctor.html
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Support Groups(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/cfssupport.htm
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Treatment Options(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/cfstreatment.htm
- Possible Causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/cfscauses.htm
- What's in a Name: Fibromyalgia Versus Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)(Arthritis Foundation) - http://ww2.arthritis.org/resources/news/news_fibro_cfs.asp
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Fatigue+Syndrome,+Chronic%22
- Article: The Energy Envelope Theory and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18578185&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Central nervous system abnormalities in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome:... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18537652&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Gait characteristics of subjects with chronic fatigue syndrome and controls... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18505580&tool=MedlinePlus
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=fatigue+syndrome,chronic[mh]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Glossary(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/cfsglossary.htm
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - http://www.cdc.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Who's at Risk?(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/cfsatrisk.htm
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/ill/cfs.html
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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/bones/cfs.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/teen/en_espanol/enfermedades/cfs_esp.html
- Bones, Joints and Muscles - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bonesjointsandmuscles.html
- Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infections.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health - http://www4.od.nih.gov/orwh/