Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is one of the more difficult medical conditions to diagnose. It has a long list of symptoms that are common to other diseases or illnesses and those symptoms may wane or get progressively worse in no particular pattern.
While no root cause has yet been identified for CFS, recent research indicates CFS may be caused by a rare mouse-related virus - murine leukemia virus (MLV). MLV, which causes cancer in mice, was found in the blood of 86 percent of tested CFS patients. In comparison, only seven percent of healthy blood donors had MLV in their samples. Scientists admit these findings are just the beginning - further research is needed to determine if an actual link between MLV and CFS exists.
Currently there is no one diagnostic test or cure for CFS. Doctors diagnose CFS by ruling out other medical issues. In general, to be diagnosed with CFS you have to experience persistent and extreme fatigue for at least six months and have at least four of the following eight symptoms:
- Memory or concentration difficulties
- Sore throat
- Unexplained muscle pain
- Pain in the joints
- Headaches
- Sleep disturbances
- Sore and enlarged lymph nodes in your neck or armpits
- Extreme exhaustion lasting more than 24 hours after physical or mental exercise
Women are most often diagnosed with CFS but research has not proven that sex is a risk factor. Instead, women may be more likely to report CFS symptoms to a doctor. People of all ages can get CFS but it is most common in people in their 40s and 50s.
If you are diagnosed with CFS your doctor’s chosen treatment will depend on the relieving the symptoms you are experiencing. Treatments generally consist of a combination of steps that help patients moderate their daily activity and exercise, address sleep problems and persistent pain, reduce stress, treat depression, relieve allergy-like symptoms and address low blood pressure or nervous system disorders.
In general, see your doctor if you are experiencing persistent or excessive fatigue.
Psoriatic arthritis was brought to very public attention with the announcement last week that PGA golfer Phil Mickelson was recently diagnosed with the autoimmune disease - a disease in which the body’s immune system attacks its own joints and tendons. This “attack” can cause redness, stiffness, warmth, inflammation and pain in the joints of your body. The pain may be limited to one or both sides of your body, cause pain in your fingertips, feet or spine, or may be a more debilitating version - destructive arthritis - that can result in severe pain, destroy bones and disable a person. Psoriatic arthritis may also lead to dactylitis - swelling of the fingers and toes.
Some people with psoriatic arthritis have psoriasis - an autoimmune inflammatory skin disease that results in scaly patches of skin on the scalp, ears, elbows, or buttocks. Like psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis can flare - causing greater discomfort - or go into remission. If someone suffers from both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, the flares of the skin condition can coincide with flares in the arthritic condition. In both cases, stress can exacerbate the condition.
Who’s at risk? Psoriatic arthritis affects both men and women equally. Those with psoriasis are more likely to develop psoriatic arthritis and genetics can play a role. The disease is also most likely to strike those between the ages of 30 and 50.
If you experience any of the above symptoms, see your doctor. Tests to determine your condition may include x-rays, a joint fluid test, a blood sed rate test and a blood rheumatoid factor test.
While no cure currently exists, psoriatic arthritis can, in most cases, be managed with medications that control inflammation. Medications used to treat the condition include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Advil, Motrin), corticosteroids, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (Azulfidine), immunosuppressant medications (Imuran, Neoral, Arava) or TNF-alpha inhibitors (Enbrel).
Risks associated with the psoriatic arthritis include diabetes and heart disease. There are also some risks associated with the medications used to treat the disease because the drugs - used to block tumor necrosis factor (TNF) - can put one at risk for infections.
Having difficultly grasping objects? Perhaps you’ve noticed painless knots, or a thickening of tissues, in your palm near the base of your fingers. Or that some of your fingers have become difficult to straighten. If so, you may have developed Dupuytren’s contracture.
Dupuytren’s contracture is a condition that develops slowly, usually over a period of years that causes the connective tissues within the hand to thicken and pull your fingers into a bent position. While the ring and pinky fingers are most commonly affected, any of your fingers may be affected on either hand.
While this condition is usually painless, it can make it difficult for the affected person to grasp objects, to shake hands, straighten the fingers or place a hand into confined spaces - such as gloves.
Research indicates that Dupuytren’s contracture does run in families and most often affects men of Northern European descent over the age of 50. Alcoholics and smokers are also more likely to be affected perhaps because of damage done to blood vessels. Diabetics are also at higher risk for the condition.
Other treatment options include:
- Needling -a needle is inserted to puncture the cord.
- Enzyme injections of Xiaflex -this enzyme softens the thickened cord. The doctor then manipulates the hand to try and “break” the cord.
- Surgery - the affected or scarred tissue is removed.
If you begin to experience symptoms of Dupuytren’s contracture, see your physician. Early intervention with heat, physical therapy and stretching may help in slowing the progression of the condition.
If you occasionally experience heartburn, you’re not alone. About 60 million people have heartburn at least once a month. So what do you think triggers heartburn? Stress? Spicy, greasy foods? They certainly can. But there are other culprits you may not be aware of.
Peppermint is usually thought to soothe an upset stomach. But if you suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peppermint can cause heartburn. Those with GERD experience heartburn more often than others because their stomach contents leak into and irritate the esophagus. The menthol of peppermint, which is known to soothe, can actually do its job too well - relaxing the sphincter between the esophagus and stomach. When that valve relaxes, stomach acids can enter the esophagus and lead to heartburn.
Eat your veggies. Drink plenty of water. Exercise daily. Nothing new there - you’ve heard it over and over. But for those of you who have suffered through diverticulitis, this advice is key. It can also play a role in preventing diverticulitis - a painful infection that occurs in small pouches, called diverticula, which can form in your intestines.
For people over 40, diverticula can be common - and most people are unaware of them. As you age, the weak spots in your colon can develop little pouches. These pouches can become irritated when materials collect in them - the risk for this is exacerbated by a diet that is too low in fiber, a lack of exercise and obesity.
When the diverticula become inflamed or infected, the result can be more than a little uncomfortable. You may experience abdominal pain on the lower left side of the abdomen, nausea, bloating, fever, constipation or diarrhea.
If you experience these symptoms, your physician will examine your abdomen for tenderness, take a blood sample to test for infection and may have you undergo a CT scan to identify the infected and inflamed pouches.
In most cases, mild diverticulitis is treated with a round of antibiotics, rest, a low-fiber diet and plenty of liquids. As you recover, your physician will alter your diet accordingly, generally reintroducing high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. More serious cases of diverticulitis may require surgery. If you develop peritonitis - in which a pouch ruptures - you will require hospitalization and immediate medical care.
Physicians used to recommend that patients with diverticulitis avoid seeds, nuts and foods with small seeds because they believed those particles lodged in the pouches and caused inflammation. Recent research indicates that these foods are not associated with an increased risk of diverticulitis.
To keep your intestines in tip-top shape, eat 20 to 35 grams of fiber each day, drink plenty of water, use the bathroom when your body tells you to, and exercise.
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