Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome. You may know it by CFIDS or by CFS, otherwise known as "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. In the 1980's, it was referred to as the "Yuppie Flu". During that time, it was thought that only the upwardly mobile Baby Boomer generation suffered from this syndrome. This misconception has been proven untrue.
Science does not know very much about CFIDS. CFIDS has remained a mystery for many years. Over the past 18 years, the theories on what CFIDS is exactly is and what causes it has changed many times. In 1984, it was initially believed that CFIDS was actually a chronic form of the Epstein-Barr virus. In 1991, Dr. Mark Demitrack found that CFIDS patients had low cortisol levels thus indicating CFIDS is an endocrine abnormality. In 1998, Drs. David Bell and David Streeten found that CFIDS patients have low blood volumes. In 2001, Australian researchers found a link between genetic mutation and the immune response. Despite much research, the exact cause of Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome has not been found and unfortunately it may be a long time coming.
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