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(American Family Physician/American Academy of Family Physicians) Review of CFS (Yancey & Thomas)

Dolphin

Senior Member
Messages
17,567
There's a thread on the related American Academy of Family Physicians/American Family Physician patient information sheet on CFS at: http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...ician-patient-information-sheet-on-cfs.20131/

(Not a recommendation)

Chronic fatigue syndrome: diagnosis and treatment.

Am Fam Physician. 2012 Oct 15;86(8):741-6.

Yancey JR, Thomas SM.

Source
Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, Fort Belvoir, VA, USA.

Abstract*

Chronic fatigue syndrome is characterized by debilitating fatigue that is not relieved with rest and is associated with physical symptoms.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome include severe fatigue lasting longer than six months, as well as presence of at least four of the following physical symptoms: postexertional malaise; unrefreshing sleep; impaired memory or concentration; muscle pain; polyarthralgia; sore throat; tender lymph nodes; or new headaches.

It is a clinical diagnosis that can be made only when other disease processes are excluded.

The etiology of chronic fatigue syndrome is unclear, is likely complex, and may involve dysfunction of the immune or adrenal systems, an association with certain genetic markers, or a history of childhood trauma.

Persons with chronic fatigue syndrome should be evaluated for concurrent depression, pain, and sleep disturbances.

Treatment options include cognitive behavior therapy and graded exercise therapy, both of which have been shown to moderately improve fatigue levels, work and social adjustment, anxiety, and postexertional malaise.

No pharmacologic or alternative medicine therapies have been proven effective.

PMID: 23062157 [PubMed - in process]


*I've given each sentence its own paragraph to make it easier to read.




If anyone wants to write a letter in reply, here are the details:

http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/journals/afp/afpauthors.html#Parsys98405


LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letters to the editor are published in each issue of AFP. Some letters may be published online only; online letters will be listed in the table of contents of the print version. Authors may comment on a previously published article or present a freestanding letter on an important clinical topic. Letters should be fewer than 400 words in length, with a limit of one table or figure, six or fewer references, and no more than three authors. Letters submitted for publication in AFP must not be submitted to any other publication. Possible conflicts of interest must be disclosed at time of submission.

Submission of a letter will be construed as granting the American Academy of Family Physicians permission to publish the letter in any of its publications in any form. Letters will be edited to meet style and space requirements. Send letters to Kenny Lin, MD, Associate Deputy Editor for AFP online (afplet@aafp.org). Letters submitted via regular mail should be sent to: 11400 Tomahawk Creek Pkwy., Leawood, KS 66211-2672.
 

Dolphin

Senior Member
Messages
17,567
Puzzle Pieces (October 30th, 2012) by Jennie Spotila


"...I dissected the AAFP patient information sheet on CFS in a recent post, but now I think it's important to examine this review article by the same authors. The article attempts to present a finished picture of CFS for family practitioners, but so many pieces are missing that the paper bears little resemblance to the CFS I live with...."
continues at:
http://www.occupycfs.com/2012/10/30/puzzle-pieces/
 

Dolphin

Senior Member
Messages
17,567
I have heard of one letter that has submitted, along with PANDORA's longer letter on the factsheet (too long to publish).

If anyone knows of any other letters, please let me know (by private message, if you prefer). I might write a letter but I don't want to duplicate something others have done; also if a few letters go in, I think I might concentrate on more obscure CFS papers that might not get any comments on them (I'm behind in my reading).
 

snowathlete

Senior Member
Messages
5,374
Location
UK
It's really great to see our ME/CFS doctors tackling bad papers like this. I wish more of our doctors would do that. Do any ME/CFS people or orgs attempt to coordinate this sort of thing?
 

WillowJ

คภภเє ɠรค๓թєl
Messages
4,940
Location
WA, USA
It's really great to see our ME/CFS doctors tackling bad papers like this. I wish more of our doctors would do that. Do any ME/CFS people or orgs attempt to coordinate this sort of thing?

as in, getting doctors to write letters, or writing letters ourselves, or both?

Some of the orgs write (their doctor consultants may do this, if they have them, and other non-doctor persons with information). Some other patients who have or have developed (or are developing) relevant knowledge/skills write.

I think relatively few doctors have/take time to write, probably since they are so overflooded with patients, and some are carrying out research as well.