As the name chronic fatigue syndrome suggests, this illness is accompanied by fatigue. However, it's not the kind of fatigue we experience after a particularly busy day or week, after a sleepless night or after a single stressful event. It's a severe, incapacitating fatigue that isn't improved by bed rest and that may be worsened by physical or mental activity. It's an all-encompassing fatigue that results in a dramatic decline in both activity level and stamina.
People with CFS function at a significantly lower level of activity than they were capable of prior to becoming ill. The illness results in a substantial reduction in occupational (work-related), personal, social or educational activities.
The fatigue of CFS is accompanied by characteristic symptoms lasting at least six months. These symptoms include:
- difficulties with memory and concentration
- problems with sleep
- persistent muscle pain
- joint pain (without redness or swelling)
- headaches
- tender lymph nodes
- increased malaise (fatigue and sickness) following exertion
- sore throat
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