Chronic fatigue gaining respect as serious syndrome.
Article Type: Brief article
Subject: Antiviral agents (Dosage and administration)
Chronic fatigue syndrome (Risk factors)
Chronic fatigue syndrome (Diagnosis)
Chronic fatigue syndrome (Care and treatment)
Chronic fatigue syndrome (Research)
Gene expression (Methods)
Gene expression (Research)
Pub Date: 06/22/2008
Publication: Name: Annals of the American Psychotherapy Association Publisher: American Psychotherapy Association Audience: Academic; Professional Format: Magazine/Journal Subject: Psychology and mental health Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2008 American Psychotherapy Association ISSN: 1535-4075
Issue: Date: Summer, 2008 Source Volume: 11 Source Issue: 2
Topic: Event Code: 310 Science & research
Geographic: Geographic Scope: United States Geographic Code: 1USA United States
Accession Number: 180860857
Full Text: [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has recently released information that links Chronic Fatigue Syndrome to abnormalities in gene expression. This news comes as relief for those who have personally suffered from the syndrome. Earlier reports on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome suggested that it existed primarily in the imaginations of sufferers, and was commonly referred to as "yuppie flu" and "shirker syndrome."

Symptoms include extreme fatigue, impaired memory, sore throat, muscle pain, headaches, and irregular sleeping patterns, although not all sufferers will have every symptom. The CDC estimates that 1 million Americans suffer from the syndrome.

A new medication is being studied that may lessen the effects of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Dr. Joseph Montoya, an infectious disease specialist at Stanford, has found that valganciclovir, an antiviral medication used in treating other diseases, is successful in treating the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. In his research, 9 out of 12 patients reported feeling better after taking the medication. A more thorough testing of the drug is in the works.

Information retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/17/science/ 17fatigue.html
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