Syndrome of chronic fatigue – a disease of the 21st century

Residents of big cities quite often have a disease which is known as the syndrome of chronic fatigue (SCF) today. This illness affects the people belonging to various social and demographic groups and living on all continents.

Most of all SHU are subject women aged from 25 up to 45 years. Statistically, the number of cases fluctuates in the different countries from 10 to 37 people on 100 thousand, but specialists believe that these figures are significantly underestimated as the people suffering from SHU not always consider necessary to ask for the help. It is quite difficult to define an illness and it is not always possible to cure completely.

Signs and origins of a syndrome of chronic fatigue

The constant fatigue which does not manage to be eliminated even by means of long rest was for the first time diagnosed as an individual disease in 1984. The doctor Paul Cheney practicing in the State of Nevada (USA) observed a complex of similar symptoms almost at 200 inhabitants of the small settlement in which shortly before it there was epidemic of the infectious disease caused by the activator, similar to a herpes virus. All patients complained on:

1. Bystry fatigue, feeling of fatigue even after a dream;
2. Muscular weakness, decrease in working capacity;
3. Falling of attention, impossibility to concentrate;
4. The progressing headaches arising for no apparent reason;
5. Joint pain (without hypostases) and a backbone;
6. The sleep disorders expressed in sleeplessness at night and drowsiness in the afternoon;
7. Appetite loss;
8. Dryness of mucous eyes and mouth, pharyngalgia;
9. Morbidity of lymph nodes;
10. Differences of arterial pressure;
11. Unstable emotional condition, alternation of the periods of apathy and aggression;
12. Uneasiness, depression.

Today the person at whom six of the listed signs are observed at least can be recognized by the suffering syndrome of chronic fatigue. At the very beginning of a disease neither hardware diagnosis, nor results of analyses find existence in an organism of any pathology. In process of development of an illness the blood analysis defines deviations in the maintenance of leukocytes, increase in quantity of antibodies, and also signs of failures in work of a liver and other internals. If treatment is not begun, the patient risks to receive serious disorders of health.

The origin of a syndrome of chronic fatigue is not found out. Some scientists consider that emergence of a syndrome is provoked by causative organisms (herpes viruses 6 type and hepatitis C, an enterovirus, a cytomegalovirus, a retrovirus etc.). Also the probability of existence of the specific activator which is still not found is not excluded. This theory has certain bases: the beginning of SHU often matches an acute infection, similar to flu. Not a smaller role in development of an illness is played by the following factors:

• Bad ecological situation. Really, SHU suffer preferential residents of megalopolises;
• Improper feeding;
• Disturbance of a sleep pattern and wakefulness;
• The activity connected with huge psychological loadings against the background of low physical activity;
• Decrease in the immune status, tendency to catarrhal diseases and allergic reactions;
• Stresses in family life and at work.

The majority of the ways of therapy of a syndrome of chronic fatigue applied today anyway are connected with attempts to optimize regime of the patient, to help it easier to transfer existence in "the stone jungle".

Specifics of treatment of SHU

Complexity of diagnosis and treatment of SHU is connected not only with need to distinguish its manifestations from symptoms of many other illnesses, but also with the fact that the diseased, as a rule, does not hurry to see a doctor.

The syndrome of chronic fatigue is called not without reason "a disease of workaholics". The main risk group – the residents of megalopolises occupied with the responsible work connected with stresses (the businessmen, managers managing banks and firms, dispatchers of airlines) that is people who reside in tension sleep a little, irregularly eat and even houses cannot distract from thoughts of work. In such situation the person can almost not stop, stop a daily race, especially – to recognize that he is sick.

Therapy of SHU includes a complex of the actions designed to make life of patients in general healthier and quiet. Usually the doctor recommends to optimize a work-rest schedule, in time is, giving preference to healthy food, to spend much time on air, playing sports (with moderate loadings). The big benefit is brought by hydrotherapeutic procedures, massage and physiotherapy exercises. Sessions of psychotherapy and auto-training are shown to the patients suffering from instability of an emotional state, is more rare – medicines (tranquilizers, antidepressants and so forth). Reaction of sick SHU to treatment is very individual. Some are helped by such techniques as an oxygen therapy or acupuncture. Recently with great success treatment is applied by the laser (the way was effective concerning more than 86% of patients).

Having noticed at itself disease symptoms, it is necessary to ask immediately the therapist for the qualified help. In the started cases the condition of the people suffering from a syndrome of chronic fatigue does not manage to be improved significantly, despite all efforts of doctors. For such patients the usual way of life can turn back total loss of working capacity.