Source: Medical News Today
Security & Justice
Over 70% of Baalbek Residents Forced to Flee Amid Escalating Conflict
Over 70 percent of Baalbek’s residents have fled the eastern Lebanese city in recent days following heavy Israeli bombardment and evacuation orders, according to the National News Agency (NNA).
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Southern Lebanon Endures Massive Damage: 40,000 Homes Leveled Across 37 Towns
Israeli forces have systematically destroyed entire neighborhoods in southern Lebanon, leveling more than 37 towns and wiping out over 40,000 residential units, according to Lebanon's National News Agency.
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Opinion
My Hope for Lebanon
A company of Lebanese soldiers assigned to maintain order in this anxious wartime capital is gathered at its headquarters 100 yards from the Mediterranean. I make the blunder of asking their commander how many of his men are Shiites, Sunnis, Christians and Druze.
Monday, November 4, 2024
The Emptying of Baalbek Is a Moment to Take Stock
“Large numbers of people continue to flee their homes every day, as Israel’s military operations in Lebanon have been going on unabated.” These disturbing words could be from almost any news report about Israel’s invasion of its northern neighbour over the past month. However, they can be found in a report by the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre issued on July 27, 2006.
Saturday, November 2, 2024
Sports
FC Barcelona Fears First Team Star Will Be Banned From Playing, Reports SPORT
FC Barcelona is concerned that one of its main first-team stars will be banned from playing at the turn of 2025 because of issues related to his registration and Financial Fair Play (FFP) limits according to SPORT, which cited anonymous sources.
Friday, November 1, 2024
Tottenham Forward Son Heung-min Crowned Asia’s International Player of the Year
Tottenham forward Son Heung-min was crowned as Asia’s International Player of the Year for the fourth time by the Asian Football Confederation at its annual awards ceremony Tuesday.
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Friday 15 December 2023 19:23:02
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome More Common Than Previous Estimates, CDC Says
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the results of a surveyTrusted Source in which Americans report receiving a diagnosis of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)Trusted Source.
According to the survey, over 1.3% of Americans say their doctor told them they have chronic fatigue syndrome. Based on the current U.S. population of 333 million, 1.3% of that figure equals about 4.3 million Americans.
The CDC’s previous estimate for Americans with CFS/ME was 836,000 to 2.5 millionTrusted Source people.
The CDC also reports that about 90% of people with the condition have not been diagnosed.
According to the agency, CFS/ME costs the United States economy approximately $17 to $24 billion annually in medical bills and lost income.
CFS and ME are two different terms for the same condition. “ME” gained popularity among physicians in the United Kingdom, while “CFS” was first used in the U.S. “CFS/ME” is the current term applied to chronic fatigue syndrome in the U.S.
The survey questioned 57,133 American adults in 2021–2022. People in the survey were asked if they had received a definitive diagnosis of CFS/ME or if they recalled having been told they had the condition by their physicians.
CFS/ME is generally described as being characterized by at least six months of profound tiredness.
The rise in CFS/ME cases may be partially attributed to long COVID, a general term for the lingering effects of an acute COVID-19 infection.
A 2023 review found that CFS/ME and long COVID-triggered chronic fatigue are similar, though some differences exist. One international surveyTrusted Source found that 86.7% of respondents who had not recovered from long COVID reported chronic fatigue.
What is chronic fatigue syndrome?
Dr. David Cutler, a family medicine physician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, described the precise parameters of CFS/ME as somewhat vague. Dr. Cutler wasn’t involved in the survey.
“While the existence of chronic fatigue syndrome, or what is more accurately termed chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis, is clear,” he said, “the actual definition of this condition is a little more confusing.”
Dr. Cutler added there are “multiple definitions” for chronic fatigue syndrome.
Who is affected by chronic fatigue?
The CDC survey included the following key findings:
- Women are more likely to report CFS/ME than men, 1.7% versus 0.9%.
- CFS/ME cases were more likely in rural areas, with the most rural areas having the most cases.
- Adults in families with an income below 100% of the federal poverty level were more likely to have CFS/ME (2.0%) than those living at or abovethat economic level (1.1%). The higher a family’s income, the less likely its members were to have CFS/ME.
- White non-Hispanic adults were more likely to have the condition, at 1.5%, than Asian non-Hispanic people, 0.7%, and Hispanic people, 0.8%.
“Chronic fatigue syndrome is everywhere,” Dr. Cutler said.
“While it is interesting to try to interpret the demographic trends, it is more striking to note that this poorly understood condition is reported in 1%–2% of the population regardless of age, race, sex, income, or location.”
Chronic fatigue cases higher than previous estimates
Respondents of the survey were asked two questions:
- “Have you ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that you had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)?”
- “Do you still have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or ME?”
Such self-reporting and reliance on respondents’ memories concern Prof. Andrew Lloyd of UNSW Sydney in Australia, who was not involved in the survey.
“This may have limited relationship to having an actual diagnosis of ME/CFS after careful consideration of the symptoms and disability, and a thorough history, examination and investigation of alternative causes,” Prof. Lloyd told MNT.
Prof. Lloyd said the CDC’s data is better understood as “a survey of the complaint of chronic fatigue and popular diagnoses that are applied to those with that complaint.”
He noted that one of the survey’s findings — the largest number of people reporting CFS/ME were 60 to 69 years old — “is very, very surprising.”
The CDC has reported elsewhereTrusted Source that MFS/ME is most common in people between 40 and 60 years of age.
How is chronic fatigue syndrome treated?
“Treatment for CFS/ME focuses on managing symptoms and improving the individual’s quality of life,” Dr. Cutler said.
“This typically involves a multidisciplinary approach that may include a combination of medication to alleviate specific symptoms, lifestyle changes, such as pacing activities and managing energy levels, and psychological support, such as cognitive behavioral therapy or counseling,” he explained.
As for treating long COVID, Prof. Lloyd noted: “All of the available data suggests that those with long COVID featuring fatigue, like other post-viral fatigue syndromes, generally has a natural history of slow recovery over months.”