Chronic fatigue syndrome: an update.

Among the many patients who seek medical care for the complaint of fatigue, a small number suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). CFS is a poorly understood condition characterized by debilitating fatigue and associated symptoms lasting at least six months. Studies indicate that the illness is not simply a manifestation of an underlying psychiatric disorder, but rather is an illness characterized by activation of the immune system, various abnormalities of several hypothalamic-pituitary axes, and reactivation of certain infectious agents.