Clinical Management of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Clinical Conference, American Association of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

A guide for practitioners, scientists, and patients, Clinical Management of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome provides an insightful overview of current clinical management of CFS and guidelines for dealing with the disease and its compounding issues. It also provides, especially for patients, an objective framework in which they can approach the confusing psychological and physical ramifications of the disease so that they may sort through possibly misleading information on current treatments.

CFS has been the focus of an increasing number of research investigators seeking to unravel the enigmatic interrelationship of immunologic, neurologic, endocrinologic, and psychologic abnormalities associated with this debilitating disorder. Because many practical issues have been underestimated by the medical community, and considerable misinformation exists regarding the appropriate evaluation and management of the CFS patient, the American Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (AACFS) held its first clinical conference to address this problem, the results of which are presented in this book. Each chapter, based on material presented at the October 1994 conference has been completely updated and revised during a peer review process, making Clinical Management of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome a useful and up-to-date guide for practitioners and scientists, as well as patients.

Despite the potential of nervous system functional assessments, the diagnosis of CFS continues to be a major problem because a consensus diagnostic tool is lacking, and the monitoring of the disorder is based primarily on patient report. Moreover, dealing with the financial aspects of CFS continues to be a major problem for patients, so professionals with experience dealing with insurance companies explored this issue, as well as ways in which CFS could be considered in a broader perspective of health care, particularly focusing on governmental involvement.

The chapters provide an insightful overview of current clinical management of patients and guidelines for dealing with the disease and its complicating issues. General topics of relevance covered in the book's chapters include

• a review of advances in basic science
• neurocognitive dysfunction
• diagnostic issues
• use of alternative/complementary medicine
• cognitive behavioral and rehabilitative therapies
• financial issues
• advances in governmental role
• women's issues

In this book, practitioners and scientists in the field and patients living with CFS have a thorough resource on current clinical and patient management of the disease.