Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a disease name recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, which refers to a clinical syndrome in which healthy people have severe general fatigue for unknown reasons, accompanied by low-grade fever, headache, muscle pain, depression, inattention, and sometimes lymphadenopathy that affect normal life. Previously, there was insufficient understanding of this disease, and many of these patients were misdiagnosed as neurasthenia. To this end, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has developed a standard for diagnosing the disease.
(1) Main criteria: The following 2 items must be present: severe and debilitating fatigue of the newly onset of the disease, lasting at least 6 months. No internal medicine or psychiatric disorders that cause fatigue, such as malignant tumors, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, neuromuscular diseases, drug addiction, poisoning, etc. have been found.
(2) Secondary difficulty: At least 8 of the following symptoms are required: extensive headache, muscle pain, arthralgia, fever, sore throat, pain in the lymph nodes of the neck or armpits, muscle weakness, fatigue that lasts for more than 24 hours after mild labor, psychorheological symptoms (such as irritability, forgetfulness, inattention, inattention, difficulty in thinking, depression, etc.), sleep disorders, sudden fatigue, etc.
(3) Objective criteria: at least 2 of the following symptoms and signs: low-grade fever (oral body temperature 37.6 to 38.0 ° C or body temperature 37.9 ~ 38.8 ° C); non-exudative laryngitis, throat pain, long duration; neck or axillary lymph nodes mildly enlarged, tender.
The number of CFS patients shows an upward trend year by year, the long course of the disease, the patient's long-term fatigue, emotional disorders, etc. seriously affect the patient's work efficiency and quality of life, and further delay will cause anxiety and depression, cognitive dysfunction, etc., becoming an invisible killer that threatens human health. Epidemiological survey results show that white-collar workers and teachers are high incidence of CFS, and introversion, poor interpersonal relationships, bad living habits and excessive physical and mental stress are all high risk factors for the onset of CFS [1].
Modern medicine has not yet been able to fully elucidate the etiology and pathogenesis of chronic fatigue syndrome, and researchers generally believe that it is related to factors such as viral infection, decreased function of the neuroendocrine system, decreased immune function, oxidative stress and heredity.
Viral infections related to the onset of CFS are mainly Epstein-Barr virus, enterovirus, Candida albicans, Borrelia burgdorferi, cytomegalovirus, human herpesvirus, retroviruses, Bornavirus, Coxsackievirus group B and hepatitis C virus (HCV), so some scholars call CFS "post-viral fatigue syndromes" (PVFS), but it is not yet possible to fully determine that viral infection is the mechanism that causes CFS [1].
Adverse feedback regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (an important neuroendocrine organ in the human body) in CFS patients has been found to be due to decreased corticotropin-releasing hormone activity or response to stress.
It has been found that cfS patients can see a variety of immune abnormalities, most of which have a history of allergies, and can detect antinuclear antibodies, plasma immunoglobulin abnormalities, increased immune complexes, NK activity and mononuclear cell dysfunction, lymphocyte subset abnormalities, cytokine abnormalities, etc. [2].
In addition to biological genetic factors, individual life behavior is also inextricably linked to the occurrence of fatigue syndrome.
Adverse lifestyles that cause white-collar workers and teachers to suffer from CFS include staying up late for a long time, smoking, alcoholism, unreasonable diets, and insufficient exercise or physical labor. Occasional insomnia can cause tiredness and uncoordinated movements on day 2, while long-term insomnia can lead to inability to concentrate, memory impairment and poor work. Immunity is reduced during sleep deprivation, leading to a variety of diseases and is also a risk factor for obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. In addition, lack of sleep can also promote premature aging, endocrine disorders, decreased sexual function, memory loss, emotional disorders and so on. Alcohol abuse and the body's excessive calorie intake or lack of nutrition, can lead to body disorders, especially nutrition and diet, a reasonable diet can improve the body's immunity, to prevent fatigue. On the contrary, long-term malnutrition will reduce the body's resistance, immune dysfunction, premature fatigue; nutrient deficiency is also a factor in the pathogenesis of CFS, such as vitamin B, vitamin C, zinc, magnesium deficiency can produce CFS symptoms.
In addition, most studies have found that bad mood and personality are closely related to CFS. Studies have shown that personality factors such as indecision, sentimentality, neuroticism, or hysteria are strongly associated with CFS. The reason for this may lie in the complex and closed inner world of white-collar workers and teachers. The cruelty of competition, the change of living style and communication mode, and the lack of appropriate psychological adjustment skills can make people's hearts in a state of loneliness, desire for love but maintain a high degree of psychological defense, and inner emotions cannot be properly communicated and cathartic. Psychological changes accumulate to a certain extent will inevitably affect physiological function, manifest chronic fatigue, and affect the quality of life.
Fast-paced, efficient modern society, especially white-collar workers and teachers' mental strength and physical strength are often in a high-pressure state of overloaded operation, if this state can be alleviated or resolved in time through appropriate self-regulation such as participating in recreational activities, frequently seeking help when encountering troubles, etc., it can effectively prevent chronic fatigue and psychological depression.
bibliography:
1. Discussion and reflection on the nature of "spleen deficiency" in immune dysfunction of chronic fatigue syndrome[J].Shizhen Traditional Chinese Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine,2021,32(09):2233-2235.
2. Yu Chao,Wu Lei,Hu Weihua. Research Progress on the Etiology of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Primary and Secondary School Teachers[J].Journal of Nanchang University (Medical Edition),2012,52(03):88-91+94.