Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Europe
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) in Switzerland (Europe) and the USA
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In Switzerland we have thir{*filter*} reported cases of the chronic fatigue
syndrome, in France approximately twenty, and in the other countries in Europe
about the same number of chronic fatigues. In the USA, however, there are
today between two and five million cases.
The definition of chronic fatigue consists in a number of conditions of the
patient of which the majority must be fulfilled. Hence, the causes of this
disease could be and are probably multiple and different from case to case.
So far no treatement has been found to cure the chronic fatigues.
My question is the reason to why this disease hasn't reached Europe, if
it will in the future, and if not: what is it that makes the difference
between Europe and the USA? There are different possibilities:
- The epidemy hasn't reached Europe yet but will do so.
- There exist in America an environment, a lifestyle and an alimentation or
an other factor which doesn't exist in Europe. Therefore there won't be any
epidemy in the near future.
- The disease is known by patients and doctors at a higher degree in America
than in Europe. The doctors in Europe might have other diagnostics than the
doctors in America, dividing the disease chronic fatigue into several
different diseases.
This last point leads to a possible reason to the big number of chronic
fatigues in the USA. The epidemic would be due to a too wide definition of CFS.
Instead of putting the patient in the growing group of chronic fatigues where
today there doesn't exist any cure the doctors in the USA should perhaps treat
every patient individually. Trying to find a treatment to chronic fatigues
might be impossible because there doesn't exist ONE treatment, but as many
succesful ones as the number of chronic fatigues.
Isn't it the same thing to consider CFS as a disease as to consider fever as
one. Fever also would immediately be epidemic and it wouldn't lead anywhere
to try to find a common cure.
It would interesting to hear your opinion about this.
Lars Santesson <SANTESSON.ELDPA.EPFL.CH>
