Conditions Which May Cause Symptoms Similar To Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Pt
2
Part Two
Conditions Which May Cause Symptoms Similar To Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
There are a variety of health conditions that cause similar symptoms in patients in relation to chronic fatigue
syndrome.
For example sometimes disturbances in sleep can be connected to CFS but other times they are related to other
disorders.
Sleep apnea for example is very common and can bring about fatigue during the day with a person not even being
aware of why they feel exhausted during the day.
Sleep apnea is more of a breathing disorder than a sleep disorder but it does affect sleep. It is characterized
by loud snoring, a lapse in breathing and thrashing around in bed. Often a bed partner must point out the problem
to the sufferer.
Narcolepsy is a bizarre and very mysterious disease that is also rare. In this case a person falls asleep all of
a sudden for no apparent reason. This may or may not occur due to a bout of fatigue.
There are many kinds of sleep disorders but two other common ones that have similar symptoms to CFS include
restless legs syndrome and insomnia.
Joint pain and muscle aches and/or both are often symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome but a number of other
diseases show these symptoms as well.
These diseases include osteoarthritis, rheumatic autoimmune diseases, infectious arthritis, postinfectious or
reactive arthritis, crystal induced arthritis, fibromyalgia and a variety of other diseases such as Hepatitis C,
leukemia, bunions, Kawasakis disease, pustular psoriasis and Whipples disease.
Individuals who are severely obese often show some of the symptoms of CFS because the excess weight causes a
strain on the body in a variety of ways.
People who are obese often suffer from gastrointestinal problems, muscle pains and commonly develop sleep
apnea.
There are a multitude of medical problems that can easily rule out the chance that an individual is suffering
from chronic fatigue syndrome.
Chronic Fatigue Fast Facts
Treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
There is little physicians know about what causes Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), so treating CFS can be difficult due to the unknown origin. There is also no known "cure" that will alleviate the symptoms altogether. Physicians can treat the symptoms each patient presents with and therefore give the sufferer some measure of relief. The known symptoms of CFS vary widely but include extreme fatigue, painful joints, headaches, cough, sore throat, just to name a few of the many symptoms. Because...
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The reason for this is that a variety of diseases, both those that are serious as well as benign have as a symptom,
pronged fatigue.
These diseases include anemia, hepatitis, many types of cancers, neuromuscular diseases (for
example myasthenia gravis), diabetes, hypothyroidism, hemochromatosis (which is a disease that is brought on by too
much iron in the body and this disease has a hereditary link), and a multitude of infections.
Many prescription drugs as well as many over-the-counter drugs have the side effect of causing
fatigue.
An example of this is antihistamines. As well as becoming hooked on any illegal substances
such as cocaine or marijuana or consuming large doses of alcohol on a regular basis can bring on extreme exhaustion
and chronic fatigue.
Fatigue can also set in if an individual has recently started taking a particular type of
medication or if the prescription has been changed or even if it has been stopped.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Facts
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As a general rule, if extreme fatigue lasts for six months or more, and has cognitive related
problems associated with it such as trouble focusing on the tasks at hand, or problems with
short-term memory, then Chronic Fatigue Syndrome would be seriously considered as the cause.
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People who consume large amounts of caffeine and suddenly stop cold turkey can also experience
chronic fatigue as well as headaches and depression.
In order for it to become clear if you are suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome or not a doctor
must send a patient for a number of tests. Only once the results come back can a proper diagnosis of CFS or not be
made.
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