Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is an often-misunderstood condition that results in severe exhaustion, body aches and lack of energy. Although most common among women aged 20 to 45, it can nevertheless attack both men and women, young and old. Teenagers aged 13 to 15 are also particularly susceptible.
It is only in the last few years however, that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has come to be recognized as a genuine medical condition. This debilitating disease has been shrugged off in the past as "yuppie flu" or depression, largely due to the broad range of symptoms and the difficulty in diagnosing it. New research has shed light on a retrovirus that may be the underlying cause of CFS.
The most striking thing about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is the way it affects your whole life. A previously active person can become lethargic to the point where even getting out of bed is a struggle. Simple tasks become the focus of huge amounts of energy, and sufferers often need to change careers to find something less mentally or physically taxing.
The effect this can have on a person's self esteem and mental health is dramatic. Having such low energy and weariness can make life feel overwhelming, so many sufferers experience poor mental health and become depressed.
New research has shown that 98% of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers are carrying a retrovirus named XMRV, from the same family as the AIDS virus. Although it is so far unclear if XMRV is the direct cause of CFS, it may nevertheless be weakening your immune system and making you more susceptible to getting CFS.
According to Dr. Judy Mikovits, author of the report and research director at the Whittemore Peterson Institute:
“I think this establishes what had always been considered a psychiatric disease, as an infectious disease.”
It has been a great relief to many CFS sufferers that their condition has now been recognized as medically valid. Hopefully a reliable method of diagnosis is now much closer too.
