Chronic fatigue syndrome should not be diagnosed in children.

Abstract

The diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is based on inclusionary and exclusionary criteria.1 There are no known diagnostic markers for this condition. Different diagnostic criteria were developed in the US,2 Great Britain,3 and Australia.4 More recently an international panel has suggested a revised set of criteria5(Table). In all these cases, the diagnosis of CFS is limited to adults. Recently, the issue of diagnosing CFS in children has been raised.6 During the October 1996 meeting of the American Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in San Francisco, two separate panels were convened to discuss this issue. If CFS were a distinct disease process, there is no a priori reason why it should not occur in younger individuals. Diagnosing CFS in adolescents may not be difficult. The same criteria used in adults may be applied, or simply modified. It is an entirely different problem defining CFS in children less than 13 years of age. The clinical manifestations of CFS in younger individuals are impossible to predict. In young children fatigue-producing diseases often manifest paradoxical symptoms. Sleep deprivation …