special subjects
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Laboratory tests to exclude other causes of symptoms No laboratory tests are available to confirm a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome. Doctors therefore must rule out other diseases that may cause similar symptoms. Sometimes doctors do tests to rule out disorders such as Overview of Anemia , In 2015, the Institute of Medicine (now the Health and Medicine Division of The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine) proposed a new name for this disorder, systemic exertion intolerance disease (SEID). They also affirmed the validity of this debilitating disorder and simplified thecriteria for diagnosis. The criteria require that the person have the following 3 symptoms: A substantial reduction or impairment in the ability to engage in pre-illness levels of occupational, educational, social, or personal activities that lasts for more than 6 months and is accompanied by fatigue, which is often profound, is of new or definite onset (not lifelong), is not the result of ongoing excessive exertion, and is not substantially relieved by rest Symptoms worsened with physical activity Unrefreshing sleep At least one of the following manifestations is also required: Difficulty thinking Feeling of light-headedness or dizziness when standing up that is relieved by lying down The frequency and severity of the symptoms should be assessed by a doctor. If people do not have these symptoms at least half of the time with moderate, substantial, or severe intensity, doctors reconsider the diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome. Criteria for diagnosis are important mainly because they help doctors communicate clearly with each other when they study a problem. However, when treating a specific individual, doctors focus more on that person's symptoms rather than the criteria. 