What is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a serious and debilitating illness that can last for years, and sometimes for life. CFS is a recognised syndrome, the cardinal feature of which is profound exhaustion, accompanied by a range of other symptoms. In some cases the illness causes persistent disability, while in others it follows a relapsing and remitting course.

People with CFS are not just 'tired for a long time'; CFS is not just 'chronic fatigue'. Many people complain of fatigue (up to 30% of the population at any one time!), but of all people reporting to doctors with the complaint of fatigue, fewer than 10% will have CFS. In CFS, the exhaustion or fatigue is usually accompanied by other flu-like symptoms which can be extremely distressing.