What Is Chronic Fatigue And How To Combat It?

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a complex disorder characterized by extreme fatigue that cannot be attributed to any pre-existing illness. Fatigue may be worse with physical or mental activity, but it does not improve with rest.

As a consequence, symptoms such as alterations in memory and concentration, depression, muscle, joint and throat pain, headaches and swollen glands can occur.

Chronic fatigue syndrome did not exist before or was not defined, and even today the cause that originates it has not been discovered, although it could be due to multiple factors.

“Most of my patients start their story saying they were fine and one day they woke up and it was never the same,” says Dr. David Kaufman, director of the Open Medicine Institute of California.

“I would like to find a cause, but with each passing day I am less likely to find it,” Kaufman says in a report in The Atlantic.

According to research, there are several factors that can influence the development of this disease, and that we can assess in each case:

Prolonged periods of overexertion and stress

There are people who for many years of their lives have been living beyond the means of their body, and in the long run all overload has a price.

Many times it is precisely at the moment when the person relaxes when illnesses appear.

We therefore recommend avoiding it whenever possible, prioritizing free time, rest, daily exercise and mental relaxation.

It may interest you: Discover how small routines can help you release stress

Psychological symptoms

Chronic fatigue is one of those diseases that presents psychological symptoms such as depression, anxiety and cognitive impairment.

Furthermore, it has been seen that chronic fatigue syndrome patients are more likely to have psychiatric illnesses such as major depressive disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and personality disorder.

How do we solve it?

There is no cure for chronic fatigue syndrome. Treatment focuses on relieving symptoms.

Treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome

Currently there is no treatment with proven curative efficacy in chronic fatigue syndrome. However, symptomatic or supportive therapeutic options may be offered. The overall effectiveness of the various therapeutic modalities is not too high, and they have not been shown to modify the natural course of the disease, but they do improve the quality of life of the patient. The basic objectives of the treatment are aimed at reducing the degrees of fatigue, the intensity of pain and improving the activity and adaptation of these patients to their daily life.

Over the last few years, more than 50 controlled therapeutic trials have been carried out with drugs or therapies for chronic fatigue syndrome. Of the most recent recommendations such as that of the Center for Reviews and Dissemination of the University of York, it should be noted that only the following treatments have demonstrated sufficient efficacy.

Cognitive behavioral therapy

It consists of a psychological support treatment oriented to the situation of each patient. It allows to improve the degree of adaptation and the quality of life of patients with chronic fatigue, especially in the initial phases of the disease. It is recommended that this cognitive therapy be performed by qualified personnel with experience in the management of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, whether they are psychiatrists, clinical psychologists or trained therapists. The recommended treatment usually lasts 4 to 6 months, on an outpatient basis.

Controlled progressive physical exercise

The aim is to establish an adequate and tolerable active physiotherapy program in the situation in which the patient is supervised by physiotherapists. Therefore, the personal characteristics and the various evolutionary phases of the disease must be individualized. Physical activity must be done regularly and varied, using periods of between 30 and 45 min. It does not have to be strenuous, as it could make symptoms worse. In contrast, prolonged rest has been seen to worsen both fatigue and the symptoms associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Pharmacotherapy

It only improves symptomatically and in a relative way some aspects of this disease, but not fatigue. In general, there is a poor tolerance to drug treatment in chronic fatigue syndrome. Antidepressant drugs should not be administered systematically, they would only be indicated when an associated reactive depressive condition coexists, in insomnia and in the symptomatic improvement of myalgias.

No one group of antidepressants has been shown to be more effective than another, nor has the necessary duration of treatment been defined. Currently, low or medium dose tricyclics or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are used.

Up to 15% of chronic fatigue syndrome patients drop antidepressant treatment because of side effects. Anxiolytics should also not be administered routinely, but only as a symptomatic treatment for anxiety and insomnia. Caution must be exercised with the use of high doses of anxiolytics in these patients, as it may worsen the muscle weakness associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Most importantly, if you suspect that you may begin to suffer from chronic fatigue, it is important to see a specialist.