The mysterious illness with the equally vague name is finally getting its due. Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center believe that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) may stem from clear neurological abnormalities that can be medically tested.

Chronic fatigue is often categorized as a nebulous psychosomatic ailment, but recent research has provided enough physiological evidence to classify the illness as a genuine medical condition.

For those who suffer from CFS, the symptoms were always real — an all-encompassing fatigue that does not diminish with bed rest and that worsens with physical or mental activity. CFS sufferers can also experience weakness, insomnia, muscle pain, and impaired memory and concentration.

The study examined the spinal cord fluid of those with CFS and discovered that they have 16 proteins that are not found in healthy people. Scientists believe that these proteins could be the “biosignature” that will one day make it easy to diagnose the illness.

[via ScienceDaily]

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