Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/BmPJ8Abr5uY

 

Only 5% of children and teens with chronic fatigue syndrome, technically known as myalgic encephalomyelitis, ever receive a proper diagnosis.  Investigators from DePaul University and the Lurie Chicago Children’s Hospital studied a random group of over 10,100 kids 5 to 17 years.

 

The reasons affected children aren’t identified includes poor healthcare access but also provider misconception that this disease is not a genuine condition.  With an estimated 51 million children and teens in the US this year, 3.8 million have this disorder but 3.6 million go undiagnosed.

 

A child with sleep problems and lightheadedness when standing for 6 months or more should be evaluated.

 

Leonard A. Jason, Ben Z. Katz, Madison Sunnquist, Chelsea Torres, Joseph Cotler, Shaun Bhatia. The Prevalence of Pediatric Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in a Community-Based Sample. Child & Youth Care Forum, 2020; DOI: 10.1007/s10566-019-09543-3

 

https://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/tables/pop1.asp

 

https://www.cdc.gov/me-cfs/me-cfs-children/children-symptoms-diagnosis.html

 

#chronicfatiguesyndrome #pediatrics #underdiagnosis #myalgicencephalitis