Testing
There is no generally accepted diagnostic test to reliably diagnose or exclude chronic fatigue syndrome.
The 1994 CDC criteria states diagnostic tests should be directed to confirm or exclude other causes for fatigue and other symptoms. Further tests may be individually necessary to identify underlying or contributing conditions that require treatment. The use of tests for diagnosing chronic fatigue syndrome should only be done in the context of protocol-based research. The following routine tests are recommended:
- Complete blood count
- Blood chemistry (electrolytes, glucose, renal function, liver enzymes, and protein levels).
- Thyroid function tests
- Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
- Urinalysis for blood cells, protein and glucose
The 2007 NICE guideline includes, in addition to panel recommended by the CDC, tests for C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation), creatine kinase (a muscle-related enzyme), plasma viscosity (optional if ESR done) and serology for celiac disease. Ferritin determination may be performed in children and young people, and in adults only if other tests suggest iron deficiency. The guideline recommends clinical judgment in decisions to perform other tests in addition to the standard set. Testing for infections (e.g. Lyme disease, viral hepatitis, HIV, mononucleosis, toxoplasmosis or cytomegalovirus) is only recommended if the patient gives a specific history for this. The NICE guideline discourages routine performance of the head-up tilt test, auditory brainstem response and electrodermal conductivity for the purpose of diagnosis.
Read more about this topic: Clinical Descriptions Of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Famous quotes containing the word testing:
“Now I see that going out into the testing ground of men it is the tongue and not the deed that wins the day.”
—Sophocles (497–406/5 B.C.)
“Traditional scientific method has always been at the very best 20-20 hindsight. It’s good for seeing where you’ve been. It’s good for testing the truth of what you think you know, but it can’t tell you where you ought to go.”
—Robert M. Pirsig (b. 1928)
“Bourbon’s the only drink. You can take all that champagne stuff and pour it down the English Channel. Well, why wait 80 years before you can drink the stuff? Great vineyards, huge barrels aging forever, poor little old monks running around testing it, just so some woman in Tulsa, Oklahoma can say it tickles her nose.”
—John Michael Hayes (b.1919)