Chronic Fatigue - Warning Sign of Many Medical Conditions

Normally, if fatigue is caused by stress, anxiety, insomnia or minor acute illnesses, it will quickly disappear when the cause is resolved. Therefore, many people often take the feeling of fatigue lightly because they think that fatigue will disappear when the body relaxes and rests, or use tea or coffee to suppress this feeling.

However, if the feeling of fatigue persists, it could be an early sign of a medical condition, so finding out the cause is important to help treat the condition.

1. What are the symptoms of chronic fatigue?

Recognizing and distinguishing chronic fatigue from common symptoms of fatigue is quite simple, mainly based on the time of appearance and duration of the feeling of depression and fatigue in each person.

According to research agencies, prolonged fatigue, also known as chronic fatigue, can be diagnosed through some common symptoms such as feeling tired for 6 months or more and affecting the patient's life, spirit, and quality of life.

Prolonged fatigue may be accompanied by other symptoms such as extreme fatigue even with moderate or light exercise, unexplained joint pain, sore throat, body aches, swollen lymph nodes in the patient's armpit or neck, and fatigue that becomes worse after waking up.

If you have more than 5 of the above symptoms along with fatigue lasting more than 6 months, it is best to go to the hospital for examination because at this time, the possibility of having chronic fatigue syndrome is very high.

After a clinical examination based on symptoms, the doctor can rely on other characteristics to make a diagnosis.

2. Could it be the beginning sign of a medical condition?

Chronic fatigue may not have a serious impact on your life, but it can be the beginning sign of a medical condition. Therefore, you should not be subjective but should find the cause. The following are common medical causes of chronic fatigue.

Anemia

Anemia causes a decrease in the supply of oxygen to cells and metabolism. A body with anemia and lack of oxygen will always feel tired, dizzy, exhausted, lethargic and lack of energy to study and work.

In addition, anemia can also cause the body to lose appetite, have insomnia, difficulty falling asleep, restless sleep, hair loss, tinnitus, abdominal pain, cold hands and feet, and irregular heartbeat. The most common form of anemia is iron deficiency anemia.

Respiratory tract

Acute respiratory diseases such as flu or cold, bronchitis, pneumonia will make the patient feel tired all day. However, this condition only appears for a short period of time and will go away on its own when the disease subsides.

On the contrary, chronic respiratory diseases such as bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary fibrosis, and collapsed lung will hinder the breathing process and gas exchange for a long time. Therefore, people with this disease often feel short of breath and chronic fatigue.

Diabetes

People with diabetes will have high blood glucose levels, causing the body to use a lot of energy to regulate blood sugar levels. Therefore, diabetes is one of the causes that cannot be ignored when suffering from chronic fatigue.

People with diabetes will have common symptoms such as fatigue, constant hunger, drinking a lot of water, frequent urination, weight loss, impaired vision and irritability. Of which, fatigue is the first, most common and longest lasting symptom.

Cancer

Cancer fatigue is a chronic form of fatigue that can be caused by a number of factors. Cancer-related hormonal changes, muscle weakness, and damage to multiple organs such as the heart, liver, kidneys, or lungs can all contribute to long-term fatigue.

In addition, pain and anemia as well as side effects of cancer treatment (drugs, chemotherapy, radiotherapy) also make patients constantly tired.

Thyroid

When suffering from thyroid disease, especially hypothyroidism, thyroid hormones will not function effectively, disrupting metabolism, making the body feel tired all the time.

Cardiovascular

Chronic fatigue is also a common symptom of congestive heart failure. Heart failure causes the heart to contract weakly, and blood flow to organs and tissues is insufficient, causing the body to feel tired all the time. This condition will worsen if the patient exerts himself a lot. Other symptoms of heart failure include difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, labored breathing, and swelling of the legs and arms.

Adrenal insufficiency

Adrenal insufficiency is a disease that causes the patient to feel tired all the time, less common than thyroid disease. In addition to fatigue, adrenal insufficiency also causes the patient to have headaches, diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss and increased skin pigmentation.

Tuberculosis

This is a disease mainly caused by bacteria and the attack power of this bacteria is very strong, can seriously damage the cells and tissues they come into contact with. For people with tuberculosis, depression and body aches, illness, physical weakness... make the symptoms of fatigue last longer and more severe, leading to lack of sleep, insomnia, depression...

neurasthenia

Neurasthenia is a relatively dangerous disease, which can be caused by long periods of pressure and stress. People with neurasthenia, in addition to feeling tired all the time, are also easily angered, irritable, have mood swings, and are physically weak, with no interest in work.

Depression

Depression is a neuropsychiatric disease that causes feelings of fatigue, sadness, prolonged loss of interest and mood disorders, disrupts daily routines and makes the patient think negatively, even think about death and commit suicide.

Depression has a huge impact on the brain, reducing the secretion of the hormone serotonin, reducing energy levels and making the body tired all day. Therefore, prolonged fatigue is very common in people with depression. If not detected and treated early, depression can cause many serious consequences.

Vitamin B12 deficiency

Vitamin B12 plays an important role in brain health, the immune system, and metabolism. Factors that cause vitamin B12 deficiency include aging, a diet too high in plant foods, digestive disorders, and diabetes medications.

Vitamin B12 deficiency causes the body's organs to function less effectively, making patients susceptible to chronic fatigue, depression, memory loss, impaired vision, dizziness, and itchy hands and feet.

Sleep apnea

Sleep apnea is a condition in which breathing stops or becomes very shallow for short periods of time during sleep, leading to a lack of oxygen. This is a sleep disorder that can significantly affect the quality of sleep at night.

Patients have poor sleep, restless sleep, and feel tired after waking up because the brain is awakened to perform breathing.

People with sleep apnea syndrome will have symptoms of snoring, headaches in the morning due to lack of oxygen to the brain, fatigue and excessive sleepiness during the day despite sleeping a lot at night. This condition can lead to high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and more seriously, stroke.

Chronic fatigue can originate from many different causes. Therefore, when symptoms do not improve, patients should go to medical centers for examination, find the cause to have the best treatment to ensure health.