Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Might Occur Before Adolescence

This report suggests that CFS can affect children as young as age 2 years and that young children can be as severely affected as older children.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a disabling condition at any age, but some studies exclude children younger than 12 years. To describe CFS in younger children, investigators in the U.K. identified 178 children (age, <18 years) who were diagnosed with CFS from 2004 to 2007, based on the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s definition of “generalized fatigue persisting after routine tests and investigations have failed to identify an obvious underlying cause.”

At the time of assessment, 32 children (22 girls) were younger than 12 years (3 were younger than 5 years, and the youngest was age 2 years). Standardized inventories of fatigue, disability, anxiety, pain, and school absence showed that children younger than 12 years had the…

Reviewing Author

F. Bruder Stapleton, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardCareer Physician

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Pediatric Nephrology Foundation (Chair)

F. Bruder Stapleton, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardCareer Physician

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Pediatric Nephrology Foundation (Chair)

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Might Occur Before Adolescence

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Reviewing Author