It is a disorder characterized by extreme apathy or tiredness unrelated to anybody’s disease, condition, or physical condition.
Chronic fatigue can increase if the individual who suffers from it performs activities or sports that require physical or mental delivery. This condition does not usually improve with hours or time of rest.
Some doctors refer to chronic fatigue as:
- Intolerance to the systematic effort.
- Malawi encephalomyelitis.
Causes of Chronic Fatigue
Despite the various studies related to this issue, its cause has not been determined or is unknown. Some doctors suggest it is due to:
- Psychological stress
- Viral infections
- Chronic depression
- Immune system problems.
- Hormonal imbalance
- Excessive physical activity without good eating habits and physical and mental rest.
Among the most common causes are:
Viral infections: A small group of people, after suffering from diseases caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, human herpesvirus six, and mouse leukemia virus, are prone to developing chronic fatigue syndrome.
Immune system problems: chronic fatigue syndrome can develop when the immune system is affected by any condition.
Hormonal imbalances: People with abnormal levels of hormones in the pituitary glands, hypothalamus, or adrenal glands are prone to chronic fatigue syndrome.
Others suggest that it is due to multiple factors that depend on the individual and their place of origin.
For a doctor to determine or diagnose this syndrome, they must perform a series of tests to discharge conditions or diseases that may have this condition as one of the symptoms.
Common symptoms
Among the characteristics of this condition, the following symptoms can be noted:
- Difficulty remembering events or activities.
- Concentration problems.
- Fatigue.
- Pain in the joints of the body.
- Difficulty moving the extremities of the body.
- Weakness in the body musculature.
- Discomfort in the throat
- Constant headache
- Swollen lymph nodes in the armpits and neck.
- Little rest when sleeping or resting the body and mind.
- Chronic exhaustion with or without physical or mental activities.
Risk factors for Chronic Fatigue
If the individual suffers from chronic fatigue, you should be aware that the following factors could increase the symptoms of the condition:
Constant stress: the routine and the daily physical and mental demands can contribute to accelerating, remaining, or increasing the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome.
Age: the passing of the years could be a risk factor because people aged between 40 and 50 are more likely to suffer from chronic fatigue.
Sexual gender: according to some studies, it has been determined that women are more prone to suffer from chronic fatigue due to the constant physical and mental activities carried out throughout the day without allowing themselves to take the necessary hours of rest.
Complications
This condition can generate some complications that can increase or worsen over time; among them are:
- Work absenteeism.
- Chronic or severe depression.
- Difficulty performing in social activities.
- Trouble socializing.
- Progressive isolation.
- Unfavorable changes to daily routine and quality of life.
Diagnosis for Chronic Fatigue
Due to the condition, it is necessary to perform a series of medical tests to determine whether or not the patient has chronic fatigue syndrome.
The doctor should rule out diseases that have similar symptoms, such as:
Sleep disorders: This type of condition does not allow the body and mind to rest correctly, so in some cases, people who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, or restless legs syndrome may confuse their disorder with chronic fatigue
Pulmonary or heart conditions: diseases that attack the lungs or the gut affect the body’s stability because any activity can cause shortness of breath or accelerate the heart rate, which in turn leads to chronic fatigue.
Mental health: illnesses such as bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety, generate in the ortho or long term a chronic fatigue product of mental instability.
Diseases: certain diseases such as diabetes, anemia, and thyroid conditions, have chronic fatigue among their symptoms, so it is prudent first to evaluate if the patient suffers from any of them before determining the disease.
Treatment
This condition does not have a specific treatment and is not curable; the usual thing is that doctors are in charge of reducing the levels of symptoms to give the patient a better quality of life.