Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Unveiling the Silent Epidemic and Its Toll

Introduction

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a disease characterised by profound fatigue, and it is a complex and severe medical condition that does not change with rest. This disease comes with headaches, muscle pain, joint pain, and difficulty concentrating. All types of people can be affected by CFC, but it is most common in adults who are in their 40s and 50s and mostly in women (Mayo Clinic, 2018).

This disease has a large impact on public health because it has a significant impact on quality of life, productivity, and healthcare costs. The CFS advisory committee reports on the current needs of research and clinical guidance for the Australian public (NHMRC, 2022).

In public, it is still severe and difficult to diagnose CFS, and till now, there has been no cure. However, advances in research have resulted in a better understanding of the condition, as well as the development of new diagnostic tools as well as criteria and treatment strategies to diagnose CFS.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and many other countries, including Australia, have recognised CFS as a medical condition, raising awareness among people and health experts. As a result, the condition's diagnosis, management, and treatment have improved (WHO, 2023).

Public Health Implications

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has a significant role and impact on public health, as it affects individuals, their families, as well as a broader community with the disease of fatigue and tiredness.

Now enough evidence to classify CFS as a medical condition and infectious disease has led to increased awareness and understanding of the condition among healthcare professionals and the general public, which has resulted in expanding ways to diagnose, manage, and treatment of the condition (CDC, 2019).

One of the most important things that people came to acknowledge because of CFS is the need for a multidisciplinary approach to handling the disease. CFS is a complicated disorder or, we can say, condition, and it requires input from different medical specialties, including neurology, immunology, and psychology. Additionally, there is a very much need for people to take different treatments and examine the disease cure (CDC, 2019).

Another important issue is the need for greater awareness and education among healthcare providers about the condition. Misdiagnosis of CFS are common and can result in significant suffering for an individual. Healthcare providers need to be aware of the diagnostic criteria for CFS and the different treatment options available, including both pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches (CDC, 2019).

It is crucial to continue all the research about all the potential treatments for CFS. However, despite all the issues in understanding the condition, there is a broad part of society that is not aware of the condition of CFS, and there is no present cure for it. Therefore continued research is required to further our understanding of the condition and to develop new effective technologies (CDC, 2019).

Historical Context

Chronic fatigue syndrome, which is CFS has a controversial history in a public health context. Firstly it came into knowledge in the 1980s when a large number of people were suffering from fatigue, and other symptoms like fever, sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes, came into knowledge.

Firstly it was believed to be caused by a virus name Epstein-Barr. Later on, research regarding it failed to find a link between the virus and the condition, and thus name got changed (Mandal, 2009).

During the early 2000s, CFS remained a complicated and merely understandable condition, with a large number of healthcare providers and researchers questioning its validity as any different medical condition. It was the result of a lack of diagnostic criteria and the absence of any known biological conditions (Mandal, 2009).

However, as time passed, people started taking it seriously, CFS got recognised as a disabling condition, and research continued. In 2015 The IOM Institute of Medical came out with a report about CFS, which recommended new diagnostic criteria and further came out with more need for research for this condition (Shorter, 2007).

In today’s era, CFS is recognised as a severe condition of medical by healthcare givers and medical organizations, which include the World Health Organization and other centres which work for disease control and prevention. However, there is still a lot of complexity that comes with the diagnosis and management of this condition (Shorter, 2007).

So, it is very important to look into this matter and develop good health practices to prevent the development of this syndrome in the human body, as it is causing a lot of health problems.

Future Context

Talking about the future context of chronic fatigue syndrome, which CFS is more likely to improve, and people can get a better understanding of the diagnosis. Upcoming advanced technology and better options for the treatment of the syndrome.

Additionally, it is also important to increase awareness and educate people about the syndrome

In future, we can go deeper into the caution of this syndrome and the main reason for this syndrome; research so far suggested that it is some kind of viral infection, so going along with this theory, we can come up with some kind of treatment.

However, different research in genetics can result in some kind of breakthrough and give us some different angles (Sandler and Lloyd, 2020).

An important aspect of the future is to ensure public who is suffering from CFS must get proper medical treatment and care regarding it, and all healthcare givers must come up with the knowledge of CFS. This would help in treating the condition.

Moreover, we can look to spread awareness about the medical condition and make people understand how to deal with such syndrome. This needs proper funding from the side of health institutions and the government so that proper initiatives can be taken timely.

Overall, by summing up all the information about the topic that is CFS, medicine has come far, and it has introduced new ways to diagnose and treat this condition with more accuracy and try to find the cure for same.

People have come to know about this syndrome, and by making changes in their diet and switching to healthier ones, we can prevent ourselves from the disease (Sandler and LIoyd, 2020).

References

• Mandal, Dr.A. (2009). Chronic Fatigue Syndrome History. [online] News-Medical.net. Available at: https://www.news-medical.net/health/Chronic-Fatigue-Syndrome-History.aspx#:~:text=The%20term%20%E2%80%9Cchronic%20fatigue%20syndrome

• Mayo Clinic (2018). Chronic fatigue syndrome - Symptoms and causes. [online] Mayo Clinic. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chronic-fatigue-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20360490

• Sandler, C.X. and Lloyd, A.R. (2020). Chronic fatigue syndrome: progress and possibilities. The Medical Journal of Australia, [online] 212(9), pp.428–433. doi: https://doi.org/10.5694/mja2.50553

• Shorter, E. (2007). Chronic Fatigue in Historical Perspective. Ciba Foundation Symposium 173 - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, pp.6–22. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470514382.ch2

• WHO (2023). Chronic fatigue syndrome. [online] www.who.int. Available at: https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/frequently-asked-questions/chronic-fatigue-syndrome.