Cases chronic fatigue

Looking back on it, I was a classic case. Chronic bladder infections, panic attacks, gastrointestinal problems, brain fog, weakness, skin rashes. I was a mass of panic and fatigue. I went to every olo-gist and specialist that there was. None of them was taking a holistic approach. I don t remember any of them ever doing any kind of occupational or environmental assessment, and it never occurred to me. I was just as puzzled as puzzled could be. I m embarrassed to say it took me fifteen years to find the cause. 

Although chronic fatigue syndrome is generally considered to be a recent illness, compounded by contemporary stresses particularly after a viral attack, this appears not to be the case. Edgar Jones and Simon Wesseley researched the medical literature and discovered a report of a condition resembling chronic fatigue syndrome. An extract from their paper follows. 

Edgar Jones Simon Wessely, Case of chronic fatigue syndrome after Crimean war and Indian mutiny , British Medical Journal (1999) 319, 1645-1647. 

In 31 cases of suspected chronic fatigue syndrome associated with hepatitis B immunization, no causal relation was determined (61). 

Warren G, McKendrick M, Peet M. The role of essential fatty acids in chronic fatigue syndrome a case-controlled study of red-cell membrane essential fatty acids (EFA) and aplacebo-controlled treatment study with high dose of EFA. Acta Neurol Scand 1999 99 112-116. 

Huibers MJH, Kant IJ, Swaen GMH, Kasl SV. Prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome-like caseness in the working population Results from the Maastricht cohort study. Occup Environ Med 2004 61 464-6. 

Brachfeld J, Zavon MR Organic phosphate (Phosdrin) intoxication report of a case and the results of treatment with 2-PAM. Arch Environ Health 11 859-862,1965 Briggs NC, Levine PH A comparative review of systemic and neurological symptomatology in 12 outbreaks collectively described as chronic fatigue syndrome, epidemic neuromyasthenia, and myalgic encephalomyelitis. Clin Infect Dis 18 (suppl 1) S32-S42, 1994... 

In the recent case, a forty-seven-year-old woman was admitted to an Australian hospital in 1995 or early 1996. Much like Porritt, the patient suffered from general debility, headaches, confusion, weight loss, constipation, and had difficulty with abstract reasoning. Tests revealed a blood-lead level 9.75 times the level considered safe by Australian officials at the time. Further study revealed that the sole source of lead exposure in this case was lead-contaminated water. In particular, lead-based solder was used in the patient s hot water heater, and she was a heavy coffee drinker. Ten years prior to her admission to the hospital, the patient s symptoms had been attributed to chronic fatigue syndrome, and for ten years, that is what the patient and her physicians believed. In fact her symptoms had been caused by drinking lead-contaminated water. ... 

Death is generally due to respiratory failure secondary to paralysis of the respiratory muscles. The case-fatality rate for botulinum poisoning is between 7.5% and 15%. Mortality from inhalational botulism is thought to be higher than for food-bome exposure. Functional recovery may take several months to a year and some patients continue to experience chronic fatigue and dyspnoea for many years after. 

The disease affects predominantly young women. Nearly all of the patients suffer from symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss, and fever and have chronic arthritis. In addition, nearly all organs of the body can be affected to various degrees. Clinically, the severity of the disease can vary within wide ranges. In cases where organs are affected, the disease in former times was lethal without therapy within 10 years in 50% of the patients. 

In one case study, anorexia was reported in a man who washed his hands with diesel fuel over several weeks (Crisp et al. 1979). Effects resulting from inhalation versus dermal exposure could not be distinguished in this case. An epidemiological study found a significant increase in neurasthenia (i.e., fatigue, depressed mood, lack of initiative, dizziness, and sleep disturbances) in workers who were chronically exposed to jet fuels by either inhalation, oral, and/or dermal exposure (Knave et al. 1978). Also, attention and sensorimotor speed were impaired in the exposed workers, but no effects were found on memory function or manual dexterity. Results of EEG tests suggest that the exposed workers may have instability in the thalamocortical system. The limitations of the study were discussed in detail in Section 2.2.1.2 under Respiratory Effects. 

Most reported cases of chronic cyanide poisoning involve workers with a mixture of repeated acute or subacute exposures, making it unclear whether symptoms resulted simply from multiple acute exposures with acute intoxication or from prolonged, chronic exposure. Some symptoms persisted after cessation of such exposures, perhaps because of the effect of anoxia from inhibition of cytochrome oxidase. Symptoms from chronic exposure are similar to those reported after acute exposures, such as weakness, nausea, headache, and vertigo. A study of 36 former workers in a silver reclaiming facility chronically exposed to cyanide demonstrated some residual symptoms 7 or more months after cessation of exposure frequent headache, eye irritation, easy fatigue, loss of appetite, and epistaxis occurred in at least 30% of these workers. ... 

In the case of Spleen-Qi deficiency, the Qi is unable to ascend properly to the head, and patients often have chronic headaches, vertigo, fatigue and poor appetite. 

Because it stimulates the central nervous system, dextroamphetamine fights mental fatigue. The drug can also improve mood and give users a sense of power, euphoria, and well-being. With chronic use, however, it may cause obsessive thoughts and feelings of paranoia, anxiety, hypersensitivity—and, in extreme cases, psychosis. 

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