If it’s important to you to know how chronic fatigue is diagnosed, then here is the place to find out.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, otherwise known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, is a disorder that literally cripples you with extreme fatigue that lasts many months and even years. It usually comes as a package of symptoms that range from muscle and joint pains to the inability to perform even the slightest activity.

CFS, or chronic fatigue syndrome, is diagnosed by comparing the symptoms of the sick person against two groups of symptoms which commonly show up among CFS patients.

Obviously, the first sign that your doctor will look for is the persistent fatigue that is unrelated to any other condition and results in utter exhaustion. Tolerance to fatigue among CFS patients is very low, so they get severely exhausted from even the slightest tasks. In fact, it is not uncommon for CFS patients to move from one room in their home to another, and end up feeling totally drained.

Most CFS sufferers will get sick for a few days to several weeks, just from performing minor activities. Chronic fatigue is often mistaken for the flu, as the flu-like symptoms are closely related to CFS.

The second part of the CFS diagnosis is the presence of four or more of any of the following symptoms:

- myalgia or muscle pains,

- arthralgia or joint pains in parts of the body,

- severe head aches,

- persistent sore throat which recurs,

- tenderness of the cervical and axillary lymph nodes,

- impaired short-term memory and ability to concentrate,

There’s an endless number of other symptoms that healthcare professionals look for. They include bloating, abdominal pain, dizziness and nausea. And how about chronic cough, chest pains, shortness of breath, dryness of the mouth and eyes.

Weight loss is understandable as patients don’t even feel like eating, but what a horrible way to diet.

There is often numerous psychological problems  such as depression, anxiety, irritability and panic attacks, diarrhea, alcohol intolerance.

Please realize that all these symptoms can be caused by other ailments, so diagnosis is made only after all conditions that are known to produce these symptoms are ruled out. Unfortunately, health care professionals have difficulty in diagnosing chronic fatigue due to the frequency of similar symptoms from other causes.

Apart from the fact that fatigue is a common result of many diseases, it is also a very common sign of most chronic conditions. CFS also presents no symptoms that are visible and obvious enough for easy identification.

To make diagnosis still more difficult, there are not even any diagnostic or laboratory tests that can help in establishing the presence of CFS. Patients also display varying symptoms and the level of severity that just add to the complexity of diagnosis.

In effect, probably the most important symptom remains the severity of the fatigue, along with the length of time it has endured. After 6 months or longer, it is usually classified as chronic fatigue syndrome.

In addition, through elimination of multiple symptoms being from other factors, most doctors can arrive at a diagnosis:

1. Most doctors look for symptoms of hypothyroidism, a malfunction of the thyroid producing lower levels of thyroid hormones. Other notable conditions that may exhibit symptoms similar to CFS are lupus, Lyme disease, multiple sclerosis, bipolar disorder, mononucleosis or kissing disease, depression and diabetes.

2. Believe it or not, the usage of certain medications can result in serious fatigue. There actually are some medications, drugs and substances that can cause physical exhaustion.

3. Recurrence of previous diseases, or illnesses that can produce extreme exhaustion. Cancer is a prime example.

4. Substance abuse, such as excessive alcohol consumption, especially if taken with illegal drugs.

5. Obesity is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of more than 45. I know people like this, and they have expressed often being lethargic, or even “dead tired”.  Understandable, just from the strain of the body carrying so much dead weight.

So there you have it. How is Chronic Fatigue Diagnosed? Now you know. It may take a long time for a definitive diagnosis however, and that is due to the numerous conditions that need to be eliminated to pin down the true cause of the chronic fatigue.

Fred Farah

Diet for Weight Loss Blog
http://www/dietforweightlossblog.com

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