Chronic fatigue syndrome affects nearly one million Americans. The illness is quite misleading as most would link it to depression or being tired, when in fact, it is a serious health condition.
Health care professionals are yet to discover the cure for chronic fatigue syndrome. The condition can be difficult to detect, thus the treatment may be challenging as well, according to Irish Times.
Common symptoms of the condition include deliberating exhaustion, feeling feverish and incredibly tired despite being able to sleep. One million people in the United States alone are diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome per year and the numbers do not include people who were undiagnosed.
Healthcare providers find it difficult to pinpoint the root cause of the chronic fatigue syndrome as there are various factors that can potentially trigger it. The condition has different levels of severity and can affect each individual differently.
"I became comfortable that, 'Yes, they do have a real story that's very convincing' ... but [when you run the usual tests] you don't find anything. That made me feel that it's probably worth pursuing further," Dr. Avindra Nath, chief of the Section of Infections of the Nervous System and clinical director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, told NPR during an interview. "NIH is probably the best place to be able to do that because we have a lot of tools available to study a small population in great depth."
Chronic fatigue syndrome, which is also referred to as myalgic encephalomyelitis affect most adults worldwide. Some parents refer to it as parental burnout, not knowing that it is a different condition. People with mild CFS can still be productive but may need a few days to rest, as mentioned by NHS.
People with meditate chronic fatigue syndrome, on the other hand, have reduced mobility and disturbed sleep patterns. And lastly, people with the severe condition can no longer perform, even minimal tasks including taking a bath and brushing their teeth.
