How to diagnose Chronic fatigue syndrome ?
How is chronic fatigue syndrome diagnosed? No specific diagnostic tests are available. Though there is no definitive diagnostic test, the diagnosis can be made if the patient has a typical history, and no abnormality can be detected on the exam or in the screening tests.    The Committee on the Diagnostic Criteria for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, The Board of Select Populations and the Institute of Medicine proposed a diagnosis criteria which requires that the patient have the following three symptoms: 1. A chronic fatigue that interferes with the daily activities and work,  which is often profound, is of new or definite onset (not lifelong), is not the result of ongoing excessive exertion or other medical conditions, and is not greatly alleviated by rest. 2. Post-exertional malaise. 3. Unrefreshing sleep. At least one of the two following symptoms is also required: 1. Cognitive impairment (imparirment of short memory or concentration). 2. Orthostatic intolerance (Onset of symptoms when standing upright that are improved by lying back down). Other  symptoms include post exertion illness lasting more than 24 hours, muscle pain, pain in the joints, headaces, tender lymph nodes and sore throat.   These symptoms should have persisted or recurred during 6 or more consecutive months of illness and they cannot have first appeared before the fatigue. The following tests are expected to be normal in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome:  Complete blood count with differential count;  Chemistry screen;  Thyroid stimulating hormone level;  Other tests based in the patients symptoms like immunologic tests or serologic tests.