Conditions That Cause Similar Symptoms To CFS: Part Two

There are a variety of health conditions that cause similar symptoms in patients in relation to chronic fatigue syndrome. For example sometimes disturbances in sleep can be connected to CFS but other times they are related to other disorders. Sleep apnea for example is very common and can bring about fatigue during the day with a person not even being aware of why they feel exhausted during the day. Sleep apnea is more of a breathing disorder than a sleep disorder but it does affect sleep. It is characterized by loud snoring, a lapse in breathing and thrashing around in bed. Often a bed partner must point out the problem to the sufferer.

Narcolepsy is a bizarre and very mysterious disease that is also rare. In this case a person falls asleep all of a sudden for no apparent reason. This may or may not occur due to a bout of fatigue. There are many kinds of sleep disorders but two other common ones that have similar symptoms to CFS include restless legs syndrome and insomnia.

Joint pain and muscle aches and/or both are often symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome but a number of other diseases show these symptoms as well. These diseases include osteoarthritis, rheumatic autoimmune diseases, infectious arthritis, postinfectious or reactive arthritis, crystal induced arthritis, fibromyalgia and a variety of other diseases such as Hepatitis C, leukemia, bunions, Kawasakis disease, pustular psoriasis and Whipples disease.

Individuals who are severely obese often show some of the symptoms of CFS because the excess weight causes a strain on the body in a variety of ways. People who are obese often suffer from gastrointestinal problems, muscle pains and commonly develop sleep apnea.

There are a multitude of medical problems that can easily rule out the chance that an individual is suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome. The reason for this is that a variety of diseases, both those that are serious as well as benign have as a symptom, pronged fatigue. These diseases include anemia, hepatitis, many types of cancers, neuromuscular diseases (for example myasthenia gravis), diabetes, hypothyroidism, hemochromatosis (which is a disease that is brought on by too much iron in the body and this disease has a hereditary link), and a multitude of infections.

Many prescription drugs as well as many over-the-counter drugs have the side effect of causing fatigue. An example of this is antihistamines. As well becoming dependent on any illegal substances such as cocaine or marijuana or consuming large doses of alcohol on a regular basis can bring on extreme exhaustion and chronic fatigue. Fatigue can also set in if an individual has recently started taking a particular type of medication or if the prescription has been changed or even if it has been stopped. People who consume large amounts of caffeine and suddenly stop cold turkey can also experience chronic fatigue as well as headaches and depression.

In order for it to become clear if you are suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome or not a doctor must send a patient for a number of tests. Only once the results come back can a proper diagnosis of CFS or not be made.