Fatigue Causes, Symptioms & Diagnosis

After a strenuous day at work or after performing a mentally exhausting task, it is quite natural for us to feel tired. But did you take time to understand the fatigue causes and fatigue symptoms?

Such tiredness usually tends to go away after we take adequate food and rest. Sometimes, however, the feeling of exhaustion is unrelenting with many fatigue symptoms. Even if you have done nothing but laze around all day, you might still be tired and feel incapable of doing anything about fatigue symptoms. Such a condition of prolonged tiredness – physical, mental, or both – which feels like lethargy or reluctance or simply exhaustion, is known as chronic fatigue symptoms.

Fatigue symptoms are usually caused by can be several underlying conditions that range from harmless to very serious. Infections, inflammations, and illnesses that affect metabolism, the poor blood supply to tissues, etc. are some of them.

Chronic fatigue symptoms cause also include:

• Anaemia
• Hypothyroidism
• Diabetes
• Kidney disease
• Cushing’s disease
• Hepatitis
• Tuberculosis
• HIV infection
• Malaria, influenza and other infectious diseases
• Coronary artery disease
• Asthma
• Pneumonia
• Side-effects of medications such as antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, sedatives, antihistamines, steroids, etc.
• Psychological conditions such as depression, anxiety, alcoholism, bulimia, anorexia, grief, etc.
• Vitamin deficiency
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Sleeping disorders
• Obesity
• Cancer

Lifestyle factors such as a poor diet, excessive or little physical activity, substance abuse, etc. also become many leading fatigue causes. Given the variety of causes to which fatigue symptoms can be attributed, it is wise to visit a doctor for a proper diagnosis.

The following fatigue symptoms will alert you to the presence of fatigue symptoms:

1. Lack of motivation to begin an activity
2. Lack of energy to sustain and complete an activity.
3. Lack of concentration and memory.
4. Fainting or loss of consciousness
5. Dizziness
6. Palpitations
7. Vertigo

Chronic fatigue symptoms syndrome is a specialized case that is different from chronic fatigue.

The diagnostic criteria for the former fatigue causes are:

1. Severe chronic fatigue for six months or more, without any other medical condition that might cause fatigue.
2. Four or more of the following fatigue symptoms occurring at the same time: post-exertional malaise, unrefreshing sleep, muscle pain, tender lymph nodes, sore throat, headache, impaired memory or concentration, and joint pain.

Instead of diagnosing yourself for fatigue symptoms, it is always advisable to visit a doctor so that she can either rule out the possibility of other medical causes or diagnose the actual underlying medical condition.

The doctor will question you about your lifestyle and habits, as well as about your medical history and outline the actual fatigue symptoms. She will ask about the nature of the fatigue and look for possible triggers. After this, a physical exam is performed to check your vital signs such as heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, etc.

Some of these tests might also be ordered:

1. Blood tests to check for infections or deficiencies
2. Urinalysis to check for diabetes, infection, or liver problems
3. Chem-7 test to look for seven common substances in the blood
4. Thyroid test
5. Chest X-ray
6. Electrocardiogram
7. HIV test
8. CT scan
9. Pregnancy test

The test results will show if there is another medical condition manifesting as fatigue causes, or if it could be chronic fatigue symptoms. Depending on the diagnosis, the doctor will suggest treatment methods, which include medications, supplements, dietary changes, exercise programs, etc. The actual condition will be the main focus of treatment for fatigue symptoms. In most cases, unless the disease is very severe, fatigue is easy to treat and usually goes away.

To prevent is better than going through the pain. Identify the fatigue causes early, eat nutritious food and you can even go organic. Organic food is free of chemicals, harmful fertilizers, and artificial interventions; therefore, safe to consume.