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Health > Conditions > C > Chronic Fatigue Syndrome                          Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS / ME)Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) has several names – it is also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and can be referred to as CFS/ME. This is an illness characterised by extreme tiredness. This tiredness (fatigue) does not improve after rest or sleep and can interfere significantly with daily life. It’s thought that around 50 to 100 per 100,000 children and adolescents suffer from CFS/ME. What causes CFS/ME and who can get it?Experts don’t know what causes CFS/ME, although it commonly occurs following a viral infection (glandular fever, for example). It’s often normal to feel tired after an infection. But with CFS/ME, the tiredness continues and may even get worse. The most likely explanation is that CFS/ME is caused by a combination of factors which could include:
Anyone can get CFS/ME, but girls are more likely to get it than boys. When CFS affects young people, they are usually between the ages of 11 and 15. Adults often get it between the ages of 20 and 40. What are the signs and symptoms of CFS/ME?CFS/ME usually begins with flu-like symptoms, except the symptoms do not go away in the usual way. Other common symptoms include:
CFS/ME may be mild, moderate or severe. If your CFS/ME is mild this means that you can probably still do lots of things, but you have to take a lot of time out to rest. On the other hand, if the CFS/ME is severe then you may spend most of the time in bed and find it hard to do anything. How is CFS/ME normally diagnosed and treated?There aren’t any specific tests used to diagnose CFS. But if you have been feeling tired all the time for three months or more (as well as having other symptoms), your doctor may diagnose CFS/ME. First they will want to do blood tests to rule out other things which might be making you feel tired (anaemia example, or an underactive thyroid gland or liver/kidney problems). As not much is known about the causes of CFS/ME, it can be a challenging illness to treat. But getting some structure and routine back into your life is a good place to start. Using a ‘graded’ approach to activity is also really important. This is usually done by working with a physiotherapist or occupational therapist to guide you. The therapist may start by asking you to keep an activity diary for about a week, so that they know what your ‘baseline’ or usual amount of activity is. This will then be used as a safe starting point. Activity programs also help with lots of other things, like sorting out sleep routines if your sleep has become a problem. Getting back to school using a subject-by-subject approach is also an important part of recovery. Staying in touch with friends is also very important Other treatments include cognitive behavioural therapy (also known as CBT) and family work. Group work can also be useful for young people and their parents. What’s going to help?Form a routine for your day. Have a set time for getting up and going to bed, and get dressed each day. Try to do similar amounts of activity each day. Even if you are having a good day, try not to overdo things as this can make you feel worse for the following days. If you find this hard, you can write a diary of your activities so you can work out how much you can manage to do in a day.
Looking forwardThere is no cure for CFS/ME and it can last for months or even years. However, most young people do get better and go back to their usual activities and lifestyle (even if they have to adapt their lifestyles for a while to manage their symptoms when they are at their most unwell). The earlier that you are diagnosed and treated, the better. Making sure that you combine rest and activity can help to improve your symptoms and get you on the road to recovery.
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