Kawa, K · Nihon rinsho. Japanese journal of clinical medicine · 1992
This review examines chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in school-age children, a population that is often overlooked since most known cases occur in adults over 30. The authors emphasize that ME/CFS causes long-lasting, disabling fatigue lasting at least 6 months that cannot be explained by other medical conditions. They stress the importance of understanding how the brain, hormonal system, and immune system interact in ME/CFS, and note that doctors must carefully distinguish ME/CFS from school absence due to other reasons or psychological disorders.
This work is important because ME/CFS in children is significantly under-recognized and under-diagnosed, often misattributed to psychological or behavioral problems. Highlighting pediatric ME/CFS cases helps clinicians and families understand that this serious condition affects children and adolescents, not just adults, which is crucial for timely diagnosis and appropriate management.
This review does not prove the specific mechanisms by which the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems interact in pediatric ME/CFS, nor does it provide epidemiological data on how common ME/CFS is in children. It also does not establish diagnostic criteria or biomarkers for distinguishing ME/CFS from other conditions in this age group—these remain open clinical questions.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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