Studies on chronic fatigue syndrome urged

Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago wants the Department of Health (DOH) to conduct studies on the chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) disease and the number of Filipinos suffering from it.

“It appears that CFS has slipped under the DOH’s radar, despite the fact that more and more Filipinos are being affected by it,” said Santiago, who has filed a bill in the Senate aimed at raising public awareness on CFS.

Late last year, Santiago was diagnosed by her doctors as suffering from CFS. She had to take a leave of absence from the Senate upon the advice of her doctors.

Recently, Cristina Ponce Enrile, wife of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, resigned from her post as ambassador to the Vatican, after being diagnoses with CFS.

Santiago complained of dizziness, nausea, and arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat prior to being diagnosed with CFS.

Santiago also want the DOH and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) to carry out a national campaign to increase public awareness and knowledge of CFS.

The campaign is aimed at the dissemination of information on the causes, prevention and diagnosis of CFS, as well as available treatments for CFS sufferers.

“One of the challenges faced by a CFS-affected persons is the apparent lack of recognition regarding the seriousness of the disease. A CFS patient faces the social stigma that he or she is just malingering, wants attention, or is feigning CFS-like symptoms,” the senator explained. “This stigma can have a negative pyschological effect on the patient and may cause prolonged recovery from the disease.”

Santiago noted that CFS is a complex illness that produces extreme fatigue over a prolonged period. The condition has also been called post-viral fatigue syndrome, myalgic encephalomyelitis, or chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome. The condition impacts primarily on the immune system, nervous system, muscles and endocrine system.

Although the number and severity of the symptoms may vary, the major symptoms of CFS are: Extreme tiredness lasting at leas six months; impairment of short-term memory or concentration; sore throat; tender lymph nodes; muscle and joint pain without swelling or redness; difficulty sleeping; headaches; and prolonged muscle fatigue and feeling ill after mild exertion.

CFS sufferers may also experience abdominal pain, ear aches, intolerance to alcohol, chest pain, coughing, dizziness, nausea, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, bloating, dry eyes and mouth, jaw pain, joint stiffness in the morning, night sweats, depression and weight loss.

Since the disease carries varying symptoms, CFS is unecognized or misdiagnosed. The condition is more prevalent among women aged 25 to 45, but it can affect children and adults of any age and people from all ethnic groups. In the United Kingdom alone, it is estimated that there are 150,000 people suffering from CFS.–Christina Mendez, Philippine Star