What Causes Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

There is no one agreed-upon precipitating factor; instead, there are a variety of theories about what triggers Chronic Fatigue Syndrome:

• Viral infections -- enteroviruses such as Coxsackie virus, herpesviruses such as Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, human herpes virus types 6 and 7, and herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 , stealth viruses, retroviruses and other viruses
• Bacterial infection -- chlamydia, mycoplasma, brucella, t ick-borne bacterial conditions like Rickettsia, Lyme Disease or Q fever
• Food-borne bacterial infection -- Campylobacter jejuni, shigella, E coli, salmonella, cholera, Clostridium botulinum, Yersinia enterocolitica, Listeria monocytogenes, toxoplasma, and ciguatera
• Parasitic infections -- Giardia, E histolytica, cryptosporidium parvum, cyclospora cayetanensis, trichinella spiralis, tapeworms and flatworms
• Fungal infections -- chronic yeast/Candida albicans overgrowth
• Immune system dysfunctions -- allergies, leaky gut, autoimmune disease
• Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal -- or HPA – axis dysfunction and conditions -- hypoadrenalism/adrenal insufficiency, hypothyroidism and growth hormone deficiency
• Neurochemical imbalances -- low or blocked serotonin and endorphins, excess Substance P, excess of NMDA, blocked GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)
• Autonomic nervous system dysfunctions/ Dysautonomias -- postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and neurally-mediated hypotension (NMH)
• Heart problems -- cardiac viral infection and abnormal heart pumping
• Toxic or chemical exposures -- mercury/metals overexposure or toxicity, food allergies and sensitivities, neurotoxin exposure, including excitotoxins, and ciguatoxin
• Nutritional Imbalances or Deficiencies -- deficiencies or imbalances in magnesium, l-carnitine deficiency, choline, B-12, phosphate excess
• Musculoskeletal Imbalance/Trauma – whiplash, neck injury, brain stem area problems, including Chiari Malformation
• Sleep Disorders & Stress --   stage 4/delta sleep dysfunction, insomnia, unrefreshing sleep, apnea, and myoclonus, stress response

The potential triggers and causes are explored in depth in the book Living Well With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia.

Next: Facts & Figures on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

All Information © 2004, Mary J. Shomon. All rights reserved.

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