Feeling overtired and extreme lack of energy for weeks? You could be suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).
Characterised by extreme fatigue that could last for six months, CFS remains poorly understood in the Indian context, where research and awareness are limited.
While anyone can be affected by the syndrome, women are more frequently diagnosed with it.
The CFS can be complicated, with extreme fatigue in a person that lasts for at least six months and cannot be fully explained by any underlying medical condition. According to doctors, fatigue worsens with physical or mental activity in people who suffer from this condition, but it doesn’t improve with rest. Most recently, the condition is termed systemic exertional intolerance disease (SEID). “We don’t see it daily. In the case of chronic fatigue syndrome, it is like a diagnosis of exclusion. We exclude all other diseases and then, at last, when we don’t know where to place the patient, that is when we call it chronic fatigue syndrome," she explains.
According to doctors, most forms of fatigue encountered have identifiable causes such as diabetes, cardiac conditions, cancer, to even side effects of medications such as antibiotics.
But there is no single test to diagnose CFS. There is a need to conduct a variety of medical tests to rule out other health problems that have similar symptoms. Additionally, the treatment focuses on improving symptoms. Due to this lack of tests, doctors often have a hard time describing this disease. Whom Does It Affect?
This extreme exhaustion affects women twice to four times as often as men, according to several studies. It affects individuals who show no signs of thyroid dysfunction, cardiac conditions, or diabetes.
Some experts have also found viral infections to be the known triggers. Viruses such as the Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, other herpes group infections and long Covid have been known to act as triggers, as per a Hindu report.
However, what causes this unknown condition that typically affects women between the ages of 25 to 45 years is still not known. Health experts maintain that it can affect adolescents and children as well.
The Centres for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 836,000 to 2.5 million Americans suffer from CFS. However, the majority of them are undiagnosed.
Reportedly, the United States loses between US$9 to 25 billion each year in reduced productivity and medical expenses due to CFS. However, statistics on this condition in India are limited.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), CFS is primarily considered a neurological disorder, as it involves abnormalities in brain function and the nervous system, particularly in the regulation of neurochemicals that influence energy, pain tolerance, and mood.
In India, the condition often goes underdiagnosed or misattributed to lifestyle factors, nutritional deficiencies like vitamin B12 or iron, or even psychiatric issues due to a lack of widespread awareness and limited dedicated programmes or policies.
Despite being a significant problem, CFS is not yet a public health priority in India, though awareness has started rising after COVID-19, especially in urban areas.
People suffering from this condition can have a hard time doing very basic physical acts. According to doctors, chronic fatigue syndrome usually has the most common symptom of fatigue, especially after physical or mental exercise. When a person suffers from CFS, they feel very tired and exhausted symptoms persist for more than six months.
There are also symptoms like memory issues and brain fog, headaches, sore throat, enlarged lymph nodes in the neck and armpits, and muscle and joint pains. There are difficulties in focus and also dizziness while getting up from lying down or sitting.
Moreover, the diseases which cause similar symptoms, like anaemia, diabetes, and thyroid disease, are ruled out by the doctor before labelling a person as CFS. Some diseases like fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, and sleep disorders may coexist with CFS.
CFS can lead to sleep disorders where a person feels sleepy all the time but is unable to sleep and does not feel refreshed after sleep. He could experience intense and vivid dreaming, restlessness, nighttime muscle sspasmsand sleep apnea.
They can also experience gastrointestinal problems, night sweats, muscle weakness, shortness of breath, anxiety or panic attacks and low-grade fever.
There is a lack of specific tests for diagnosing CFS, which has forced patients to remain untreated and live with pain for years. There are instances in which a doctor has witnessed only 4-5 cases of CFS in a decade in India.
According to doctors and health experts, there is no specific cure or treatment for CFS. However, symptoms that are most problematic are addressed first.
A report by The Financial Express said in order to diagnose CFS symptoms of chronic fatigue are important. And that sleep does not relieve the symptom of fatigue; different body aches and pain are there that are not explained by any other health condition.
Thus, treatment such as psychological counselling, adequate health supplements such as vitamin E, and vitamin D sometimes help to overcome the weakness and improve overall well-being.
A good, healthy diet and regular physical exercise, yoga, and meditation can also help the patient to come out of the chronic fatigue syndrome. Since the causes of CFS are still unknown, it is difficult to prevent.
