Quote:
Originally Posted by Polar Bear
Many websites do what you say, but I don’t put the Mayo Clinic, Harvard Health, and WebMD websites in that category.
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Here's a good summary of where we stand, from the Western Journal of Medicine
"The chronic fatigue syndrome has gained popularity
among the lay public and has stimulated considerable scientific debate about its existence. Many investigators and practitioners have attributed the disorder to chronic depression.
Difficulty arises from the diverse symptoms associated with
fatigue states; fatigue is a prominent feature of many systemic, neurologic, and psychiatric disorders. Also, fatigue is
a subjective complaint without a quantifiable measure. This
interweaving of many symptoms and diagnoses with disabling fatigue makes it difficult to compare patient groups.
Terms applied to disorders that probably represent chronic
fatigue syndrome are chronic infectious mononucleosis,
myalgic encephalomyelitis, idiopathic chronic fatigue
and myalgia syndrome, epidemic neuromyasthenia, postviral
fatigue syndrome, and fibrositis-fibromyalgia.
Current research on the chronic fatigue syndrome has
focused on treatment, physiologic mechanisms, clinical
subtypes, fatigue quantification measures and markers,
and the association with chronic infections. Although several
potential infectious agents have been identified, including
Epstein-Barr virus, retroviruses (possibly human T-cell lymphotropic virus type II), human herpesvirus type 6, and coxsackieviruses, none has emerged as an indisputable cause of
the syndrome. Research has also focused on identifying a
metabolic marker using phosphate 31 magnetic resonance
spectroscopy and a physiologic marker using single-fiber
electromyography of muscle fatigue. Results have been
mixed, and further efforts to delineate their role in evaluating
the syndrome will be necessary. The question of whether
fatigue is mediated by central nervous system or peripheral
mechanisms has considerable scientific and therapeutic implications. Treatment remains focused on symptom and supportive management as no antiviral agent has proved successful. The answers to the many issues inherent in the chronic
fatigue syndrome await the results of research."
So bottom line---we just don't know