How to care for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/ME.

摘要

Patients with chronic fatigue syn-drome/ME have both physical and cognitive symptoms. They may demonstrate signs of exhaustion and fatigue (even after minimal exertion); disturbed sleep; temperature disturbances; headaches; nausea; muscle/joint pain and stiffness; and sore, swollen throat. Cognitive symptoms include an inability to concentrate, understand or retain information, and difficulty with problem solving. CFS/ ME is often under or misdiagnosed, resulting in patients' referral to other specialties for investigation. There is no diagnostic test for CFS/ME and no known cure. Management centres on balancing gentle activity, exercise and relaxation with the recognition of individual signs of overexertion. Patients need to understand their patterns of activity, recognise when they may be in a cycle of overac-tivity and learn to spot early warning signs of fatigue to avoid further overexertion.