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Lookup NU author(s): James Clark, Professor Fai NgORCiD, Dr Stuart Watson, Emerita Professor Julia Newton
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Chronic fatigue syndrome is a common condition characterized by severe fatigue with post-exertional malaise, impaired cognitive ability, poor sleep quality, muscle pain, multi-joint pain, tender lymph nodes, sore throat or headache. Its defining symptom, fatigue is common to several diseases.Research has established a broad picture of impairment across autonomic, endocrine and inflammatory systems though progress seems to have reached an impasse.The absence of a clear consensus view of the pathophysiology of fatigue suggests the need to switch from a focus on abnormalities in one system to an experimental and clinical approach which integrates findings across multiple systems and their constituent parts and to consider multiple environmental factors.We discuss this with reference to three key factors, non-determinism, non-reductionism and self-organization and suggest that an approach based on these principles may afford a coherent explanatory framework for much of the observed phenomena in fatigue and offers promising avenues for future research.By adopting this approach, the field can examine issues regarding aetiopathogenesis and treatment, with relevance for future research and clinical practice.
Author(s): Clark JE, Ng WF, Watson S, Newton JL
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: British Medical Bulletin
Year: 2016
Volume: 117
Issue: 1
Pages: 139-148
Print publication date: 01/03/2016
Online publication date: 12/02/2015
Acceptance date: 24/12/2015
ISSN (print): 0007-1420
ISSN (electronic): 1471-8391
Publisher: Oxford University Press
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bmb/ldv057
DOI: 10.1093/bmb/ldv057
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