Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a disorder characterized by persistent fatigue lasting for more than 6 months, has no clear cause, and is accompanied by cognitive difficulties. CFS was initially termed "encephalomyalgia" (or "myalgic encephalomyelitis") because British clinicians noted that the essential clinical features of CFS included both an encephalitic component (manifesting as cognitive difficulties) and a skeletal muscle component (manifesting as chronic fatigue). More recently, the US Institute of Medicine proposed that the condition be renamed "systemic exertion intolerance disease" to better reflect the condition's hallmark defining symptom: postexertional malaise. How much do you know about this often controversial condition? Test your knowledge with our short quiz.
1. Which of the following is not one of the symptoms used to diagnose CFS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)?
* Muscle pain
* Sore throat
* Multijoint pain
* Rash
(65% got it right, and the CDC criteria are listed on the next page)
2. Which of the following infectious agents has been suspected to be responsible for CFS, although not yet definitively?
* Chlamydia pneumoniae
* Staphylococcus aureus
* Candida albicans
* Campylobacter jejuni
(18% got it right)
3. Which of the following symptoms may indicate CFS?
* A single lymph node that is large and tender
* Generalized adenopathy
* Crimson crescents
* Trigger points
(Only 9% got it right)
4. Which of the following is the most consistent laboratory abnormality in patients with CFS?
* Extremely low erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (0-3 mm/h)
* Elevated natural killer cell activity
* Decreased white blood cell count
* Increased serum aminotransferase levels
(30% got it right)
5. Which of the following is recommended as standard therapy for CFS?
* Dietary change
* Vitamin supplementation
* Routine antiviral agents
* None of the above
(64% got it right)
I sincerely hope this is not the physician education that was supposed to follow the IoM or P2P reports.