Overview OF CFS- From CDC To the Health Care Professionals
CFS Toolkit for Health Care Professionals: Basic CFS Overview
WHAT’S IN THIS TOOLKIT?
- Chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS, is a debilitating and complex illness that can be challenging to diagnose and treat. These challenges often leave both patients and health care professionals locked in a cycle of frustration.
- This CFS toolkit is designed to help break this cycle. It provides a quick and easy-to-use
resource for clinical care. In less than 30 minutes, you can review the best practices related to
diagnosing and managing CFS. You can also learn about other credible resources, ongoing
Note To the OvercomeFatigue.com Visitor: If you are one of those caught in that cycle:
Educate and Advocate For Yourself: Browse through the following books, if you can, for some helpful tips:
- CFS research and continuing education opportunities.
Whether you are a physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant or other health care
professional, you can help patients with CFS. You can assist patients in managing symptoms,
improving function, conserving energy and monitoring activity levels. While there is still no cure
for CFS, there are treatment options that help patients improve their quality of life and increase
activities of daily living.
WHAT IS CFS?
- Chronic fatigue syndrome is an illness characterized by profound, debilitating fatigue lasting at
least six months that results in substantial reduction in occupational, personal, social or
educational activities. The fatigue is not improved by rest, may be worsened by physical or
mental activities, and is accompanied by characteristic symptoms. These symptoms include
problems with memory and concentration, unrefreshing sleep, muscle and joint pain, headaches,
tender cervical or axillary lymph nodes, recurrent sore throat and an increase in fatigue and in
patient-specific symptoms persisting longer than 24 hours following mental or physical exertion.
- The clinical course and symptom severity of CFS varies considerably among the patientpopulation. There is frequently an intermittent pattern of relapse and remission. The illness ismarked by a dramatic decline in activity level and stamina. People with CFS perform at asignificantly lower level of activity than they were capable of prior to the onset of the illness. As yet, there are no diagnostic tests or laboratory markers for CFS, and its pathophysiology is unknown.
WHY IS CFS A PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN?
There are several reasons health professionals should be knowledgeable about CFS:
- At least 1 million Americans have CFS. This illness strikes more Americans than multiple sclerosis, lupus, lung cancer or ovarian cancer.
- Less than 20% of Americans with CFS have been diagnosed. The low rate of diagnosis supports a need for increased CFS awareness among individuals experiencingthe symptoms of the illness and among providers throughout the health care system.
- CFS can be debilitating. By definition, all CFS patients are functionally impaired. While symptom severity varies from patient to patient, CDC studies show that CFS can be as disabling as multiple sclerosis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, end-stage renal disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and similar chronic conditions.
- CFS has a severe economic impact. The annual economic impact of chronic fatigue syndrome in the United States is estimated to be $9.1 billion in lost productivity, not including medical costs or disability payments. The average family affected by CFS loses $20,000 a year in wages and earnings.
WHO IS AT RISK FOR CFS?
- Researchers continue to explore possible causes, risk factors and triggering factors for CFS. Many questions remain, but there are some characteristics that may help health care practitioners identify patients who are most at risk for CFS. The stereotype that CFS is an illness that primarily affects white, middle-class, well-educated, professional women is incorrect.
- CFS occurs four times more frequently in women than in men, although people of both sexes can develop the disease.
- The illness occurs most often in people aged 40-59, but people of all ages can get CFS.
- CFS is less common in children than in adults. Studies suggest that CFS is more prevalent in adolescents than in children under the age of 12.
- CFS occurs in all ethnic groups and races, and in countries around the world. In the United States CFS is at least as common among African Americans and Hispanics as it is among Caucasians.
- People of all income levels can develop CFS, although there is evidence that it is more common in lower-income than in affluent individuals.
- CFS is sometimes seen in members of the same family, but there is no evidence that it is contagious. Instead, there may be a familial predisposition or a genetic link. Further research is needed to explore these possible relationships.
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO CLINICAL CARE
- In several recent research studies funded by the CDC, common barriers to diagnosing and treating CFS were identified among primary care practitioners, including family practice physicians, internists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Overcoming these obstacles can increase diagnostic rates and improve therapeutic outcomes for CFS patients. The most common obstacles identified were:
- Uncertainty about whether CFS is real. After more than 3,000 research studies, there is now abundant scientific evidence that CFS is a real physiological illness. It is not a form of depression or hypochondriasis. A number of biologic abnormalities have been identified in people with CFS, but how they contribute to the illness is still unclear.
- Uncertainty about how to diagnose CFS. Although there is no laboratory test or marker to identify CFS, there is an international case definition for chronic fatigue syndrome that provides a reliable diagnostic algorithm.
Pages Under Join the CFS Public Awareness Campaign of CDC-
on this main page read the CDC appeal and of others to join this cause like:
- Dr. Richard Shames (a Harvard educated holistic practitioner)
Click here to read his appeal to fellow doctors about correctly diagnosing and treating those who come to them for treatment complaining of feeling fat, fuzzy or frazzled.
- From Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum (who published an evidence-based study that validates use of certain CFS treatments)
Click here to find out more about his advocacy in behalf of those with severe chronic fatigue states.