Medical Questions » Syndrome Questions » Question No. 967
| Question: | You were inept in your description of the genetic disease chronic fatigue syndrome in a recent column. The disease is self-explanatory and is called Abnormal Cell Mediated Immunity in the Australian Medical Journal (sic). You did not mention the recovery techniques available, and 86% of patients recover using these. |
| Answer: | The discussion of this problem always raises the ire of those who suffer from, or who have contact with victims with, the disease.
The review of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) in the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) that you referred to in your letter dates from 1990 and studied the increased prevalence of the disease in different areas of NSW. In this study, the disease was referred to as CFS, and not one of the other dozen or more names that it has been given in different parts of the world and by different groups (eg. myalgic encephalomyelitis, Tapanui flu, Royal free disease, post-viral syndrome).
The report in the MJA concludes that 43% of those with the condition were unable to work, and that the incidence in NSW was 37 cases in every 100,000 people (ie. about 6300 cases in Australia).
The study defined those as having the disease as:
— having long-lasting fatigue that was aggravated by minor exercise or alterations to daily routine.
— impaired concentration.
— no alternative diagnosis after extensive investigation.
No blood tests or other reproducible criteria could be found to make the diagnosis. Females were found to be 30% more likely than males to develop the disease, and 75% believed that their condition followed a viral illness (eg. influenza).
The medical literature list numerous treatment regimes, but with the possible exception of antidepressant and anti-inflammatory medications and immune globulin infusions, none of these stand up to rigorous assessment, as the majority of patients recover in a year or two regardless of any treatment. There is no evidence that the disease is genetic in origin.
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