U.S. News: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Symptoms and Treatments

Problematic article, which aims to give a general description of the disease: https://health.usnews.com/conditions/chronic-fatigue-syndrome

For example in the section about diagnosis it only mentions Fukuda and in the treatment section it says:

Currently there is no cure for chronic fatigue syndrome. Current treatment focuses on symptom relief. “The most troublesome or disabling symptoms are typically addressed first,” Nath says.

Common ways to manage chronic fatigue syndrome is to schedule activities that take into account energy levels that can help relieve some stress that the illness puts on people.

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, cognitive behavior therapy and exercise that gradually increases over time have been shown to moderately improve fatigue levels, help patients with their day-to-day activities and manage anxiety and post-exertional malaise.

Depending on the person, chronic fatigue syndrome can last anywhere from six months to a few years, making it important to work with a health care team to find effective ways to find symptom relief and develop strategies that improve quality of life.

“Take your health in your own hands and be proactive in finding an integrative or functional medicine provider that can guide you through a multi-pronged approach to support your body while it recovers and heals, eventually eliminating your symptoms,” Sridhar says.​

The article claims at the end:

SOURCES


The U.S. News Health team delivers accurate information about health, nutrition and fitness, as well as in-depth medical condition guides. All of our stories rely on multiple, independent sources and experts in the field, such as medical doctors and licensed nutritionists. To learn more about how we keep our content accurate and trustworthy, read our editorial guidelines.

Houman Danesh, MD
Danesh is the director of integrative pain management at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

Avi Nath, MD
Nath is the clinical director at the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Maryland.

Srivani Sridhar, MD
Sridhar is a family physician with UW Health Northern in Rockford, Illinois, and a member of the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians.​

 

American Academy of Family Physicians would seem to be the source of some of the unhelpful material: dated 2012 ! Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Diagnosis and Treatment

"SORT: KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Clinical recommendation Evidence rating References

Persons with chronic fatigue should have an evaluation, including history, physical examination, and initial laboratory testing (i.e., urinalysis; complete blood count; comprehensive metabolic panel; and measurement of thyroid-stimulating hormone, C-reactive protein, and phosphorus levels). C 7, 8

Persons diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome should be evaluated and treated for comorbidities, such as sleep disturbance, depression, and pain. Any comorbidity identified should be treated. C 7, 8

Persons diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome should be treated with cognitive behavior therapy, graded exercise therapy, or both. Cognitive behavior therapy and graded exercise therapy have been shown to improve fatigue, work and social adjustment, anxiety, and postexertional malaise. A 22, 23, 26, 28, 29

A = consistent, good-quality patient-oriented evidence; B = inconsistent or limited-quality patient-oriented evidence; C = consensus, disease-oriented evidence, usual practice, expert opinion, or case series. For information about the SORT evidence rating system, go to https://www.aafp.org/afpsort.xml. "

This really should have been updated post the 2015 IOM report, let alone post Wilshire, post NICE etc. Any S4ME members with connections to US advocacy able to flag this ?

 

@Wilhelmina Jenkins , could you flag this article up to the folks in MEAction please (assuming they aren't aware of it already)?

 

Thanks, Andy. They are aware.