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Review
. 2024 Oct 1;16(10):e70616.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.70616. eCollection 2024 Oct.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Future Direction

B Sue Graves  1 , Mitsu Patel  2 , Hailey Newgent  3 , Gauri Parvathy  4 , Ahmad Nasri  5 , Jillene Moxam  6 , Gurnoor S Gill  7 , Vivek Sawhney  5 , Manish Gupta  5
Affiliations
Review

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Future Direction

B Sue Graves et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), is a complex, chronic condition marked by persistent, debilitating fatigue that is not alleviated by rest and often worsens with physical or mental exertion. Along with fatigue, patients experience various symptoms, including cognitive impairments, post-exertional malaise, muscle and joint pain, sleep disturbances, and immune system dysfunction. Diagnosing CFS/ME is challenging due to the absence of definitive biomarkers, the overlap of symptoms with other conditions, and the lack of standardized diagnostic criteria. This comprehensive literature review aims to contribute to the understanding of CFS/ME, including its diagnosis, pathophysiology, differential diagnosis, treatment, and future directions.

Keywords: center for disease control; chronic fatigue; chronic fatigue syndrome; general fatigue; international consensus criteria.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

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