Chronic fatigue syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is the name coined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in response to an outbreak of "chronic flu like illness" at Incline Village, Lake Tahoe in 1984-1985.

As of February 2013, the CDC recognized that more than one million Americans have CFS. The February 2015 Institute of Medicine report stated that there are 836,000 to 2.5 million ME/CFS patients.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome should be distinguished from chronic fatigue, which is a symptom of many different conditions, though not a condition in its own right. These terms are often confused by the media, healthcare practitioners and the general public.

Controversy
The name Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is controversial, as many consider it stigmatising. For decades, patient advocates have been lobbying the CDC to instead use the name Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), though the CDC has refused. Most patients and patient organisations prefer the name ME, or the hybrid ME/CFS.

In February 2016, Dr Anthony Komaroff, who was part of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) group of clinicians who coined the name Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, said of it:

"'I think that was a big mistake because the name, in my opinion, and the opinion of a lot of people, it both trivialises and stigmatises the illness. It makes it seem unimportant, maybe not even real'."

Dr. Nancy Klimas discusses the name controversy in the video ME/CFS Diagnosis and Name.

Learn more

 * Wikipedia - Chronic fatigue syndrome
 * Wikipedia - History of chronic fatigue syndrome