1990's nascent CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) diagnostic criteria

[Joseph Arabasz MD]

Subject: 1990's nascent CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) diagnostic criteria

 

There had been criticism of the diagnostic workup described from the 1990's nascent CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) medical literature

Previously, Clinicians presumed the fatigue was part of some subclinical, unknown disease process, but after waiting several years, that thought process became unlikely

Most obvious criticism was waiting for several months before Labs etc were drawn to start the workup for the CFS

Now the cause and Cure for the CFS, covid sequella has been found

"DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

The Chronic Fatigue Syndrome- A Comprehensive Approach to Its Definition and Study

1994

The complexities of the chronic fatigue syndrome and the methodologic problems associated with its study indicate the need for a comprehensive, systematic, and integrated approach to the evaluation, classification, and study of persons with this condition and other fatiguing illnesses.We propose a conceptual framework and a set of guidelines that provide such an approach. Our guidelines include recommendations for the clinical evaluation of fatigued persons, a revised case definition of the chronic fatigue syndrome, and a strategy for subgrouping fatigued persons in formal investigations.

We have developed a conceptual framework and a set of research guidelines for use in studies of the chronic fatigue syndrome. The guidelines cover the clinical and laboratory evaluation of persons with unexplained fatigue; the identification of underlying conditions that may explain the presence of chronic fatigue; revised criteria for defining cases of the chronic fatigue syndrome; and a strategy for dividing the chronic fatigue syndrome and other unexplained cases of chronic fatigue into subgroups.

The chronic fatigue syndrome is a clinically defined condition [1-4] characterized by severe disabling fatigue and a combination of symptoms that prominently features self-reported impairments in concentration and short-term memory, sleep disturbances, and musculoskeletal pain. Diagnosis of the chronic fatigue syndrome can be made only after alternative medical causes of chronic fatiguing illness have been excluded. No pathognomonic signs or diagnostic tests for this condition have been validated in scientific studies [5-7]; moreover, no definitive treatments for it exist [8]. Recent longitudinal studies suggest that some persons affected by the chronic fatigue syndrome improve with time but that most remain functionally impaired for several years.

Issues in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research

The central issue in chronic fatigue syndrome research is whether the chronic fatigue syndrome or any subset of it is a pathologically discrete entity, as opposed to a debilitating but nonspecific condition shared by many different entities. Resolution of this issue depends on whether clinical, epidemiologic, and pathophysiologic features convincingly distinguish the chronic fatigue syndrome from other illnesses."