Chronic fatigue – A brief overview

Chronic fatigue – A brief overview

Chronic fatigue is a type of condition in which one experiences extreme fatigue and tiredness. It does not go away with rest and can even be caused due to an underlying condition. Medically, this disorder is also referred to as myalgic encephalomyelitis or systemic exertion intolerance disease.


Chronic fatigue symptoms

The main symptom of this disorder is a kind of exhaustion, which can result in flu-like symptoms. When one undertakes physical activities, one may not have any energy for other activities.

Research indicates that people who have this disorder tend to have a varied physiological response to any kind of physical activity. So, some common symptoms can include the following:

  • Having extreme tiredness
  • Having joint pain or muscle pain
  • Having frequent headaches
  • Feeling dizzy or extremely sick
  • Irregular heartbeats or having a fast heartbeat

If someone experiences any of these symptoms, we recommend consulting a medical expert for a proper plan of treatment. When one has the right information, it is easier to understand the reason for constant fatigue.

Chronic fatigue causes
Chronic fatigue has a lot of different causes. However, experts say that there is no fixed reason. Instead, there are plenty of triggers for it. For instance, certain factors can increase the chances of developing chronic fatigue.

  • Different viral infections, such as an infection is glandular fever
  • Bacterial infections, such as pneumonia
  • Immune system issues
  • Hormonal imbalance
  • Health problems such as emotional trauma or even stress

The triggers and causes may vary in different people. Hence, one needs to find out what affects them the most and begin suitable treatment accordingly.

Chronic fatigue risk factors
Chronic fatigue is actually quite an age-related disease. It is mostly seen amongst people in their 40s and 50s. Additionally, gender has quite an important role to play when it comes to chronic fatigue. Women are more likely to be affected by chronic fatigue than men. Some of the other factors that can increase the chances include the following:

  • Genetic factors
  • Certain allergies
  • Some environmental factors, such as work hours and highly stressful activities

Chronic fatigue progresses differently in most people. It is important to work with a team of medical experts to curate a treatment plan that can help manage the condition. Most people benefit from working with therapists, doctors, and even rehab specialists. One would need to tackle this problem a day at a time; slow and steady steps will help overcome this condition.