Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0015674 (chronic fatigue syndrome)
 2,978 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Syndromes characterized by chronic pain and fatigue have been described in the medical literature for centuries. Fibromyalgia is the term currently used to describe this symptom complex, and considerable research has been performed in the last decade to delineate the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and genesis of this entity. Although fibromyalgia is defined by its musculoskeletal features, it is clear that there are a large number of non-musculoskeletal symptoms, such that we now understand that there is considerable overlap with allied conditions such as the chronic fatigue syndrome, migraine and tension headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, and affective disorders. This article will review our current state of knowledge regarding fibromyalgia and these allied conditions, and present a unifying hypothesis that describes both the pathophysiology of symptoms and the genesis of these disorders.
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PMID:The pathogenesis of chronic pain and fatigue syndromes, with special reference to fibromyalgia. 858 67

Fibromyalgia syndrome is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, poor sleep, and tenderness on palpation at multiple sites called tender points. It occurs mostly among women; only about 10% of patients are men. Two recent studies showed that women had significantly more common fatigue, morning fatigue, "hurt all over," a greater total number of symptoms, as well as a greater number of tender points. Gender differences have also been reported in other related syndromes such as tension headache, migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, and temporomandibular disorder. Although the mechanisms of gender differences in these illnesses are not fully understood, they are likely to involve an interaction between biology, psychology, and sociocultural factors.
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PMID:Gender differences in fibromyalgia and other related syndromes. 1197 74

Fibromyalgia is one of a number of overlapping "functional somatic syndromes", including irritable bowel syndrome, tension headache, chronic idiopathic lower back pain, chronic fatigue syndrome and others. These conditions affect females more frequently than males and probably share common underlying neurobiological mechanisms, as well as frequent psychological, cognitive and behavioral comorbidities. Since the pain in these conditions is most likely "central" in origin, classes of drugs such as nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids, which are quite effective for "peripheral" pain, are relatively ineffective for the pain seen in these syndromes. Instead, tricyclic and other classes of antidepressants, antiseizure drugs and a number of other neuroactive compounds seem to be more effective. In addition, nonpharmacological therapies such as aerobic exercise and cognitive behavioral therapy are quite effective and frequently underutilized in clinical practice.
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PMID:The management of fibromyalgia. 1534 32

To compare levels of anxiety of children with chronic illness with healthy peers and population norms. Meta-analysis integrated results from 332 studies. Children with chronic illness had elevated levels of anxiety (d=0.18 standard deviation units). Strongest elevations were found for chronic fatigue syndrome, migraine/tension headache, sensory impairment and epilepsy. Paediatricians should screen for anxiety symptoms in children at risk and offer interventions, if needed.
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PMID:Anxiety in children and adolescents with chronic physical illnesses: a meta-analysis. 2160 58

Differentiating between psychogenic nonepileptic spells (PNES) and epileptic seizures without video-EEG monitoring is difficult. The presence of specific medical comorbidities may discriminate the two, helping physicians suspect PNES over epilepsy earlier. A retrospective analysis comparing the medical comorbidities of patients with PNES with those of patients with epilepsy was performed in 280 patients diagnosed with either PNES (N = 158, 74.7% females) or epilepsy (N = 122, 46.7% females) in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center over a two-year period. Patients with PNES, compared to those with epilepsy, were mostly female, significantly more likely to have a history of abuse, had more functional somatic syndromes (fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic pain syndrome, tension headaches, and irritable bowel syndrome), and had more medical illnesses that are chronic with intermittent attacks (migraines, asthma, and GERD). The presence of at least of one these disorders may lead physicians to suspect PNES over epilepsy and expedite appropriate referral for video-EEG monitoring for diagnosis.
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PMID:Medical comorbidities in patients with psychogenic nonepileptic spells (PNES) referred for video-EEG monitoring. 2374 95