One symptom of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome can be a painful bladder along with other urinary tract infections. These conditions are not directly related to Chronic Fatigue.
This condition is known as Interstitial cystitis (IC) and can cause pain in the abdominal and pelvic areas. It can mimic a urinary tract infection, and many people have it misdiagnosed and can have one for up to 4 years.
It is a good idea to consult your doctor if you think you may have a Interstitial cystitis (IC).
In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control (otherwise known as the CDC) they have reported that anywhere between 1 and 4 million people have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Then on top of that, 80% of all cases are currently undiagnosed. This debilitating illness could have a yearly impact on the economy of 9 billion dollars.
Even though Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and those it affects has such a large toll on the economic impact on this country and it’s prevalence in society, research for CFS to find a cure for Chronic Fatigue ranks low on all federally funded programs. Chronic Fatigue Research ranks in the bottom 200 of all research on disease and conditions in the United States.
Since the first cases of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome being diagnosed over 25 years ago, there has been little advancements in treatment, how to identify it. Doctors have still yet to be taught how to properly diagnose this condition properly without mistaking it one for one of the many illnesses it seems to appear as based on the varying amount of Chronic Fatigue Symptoms.
There is a new institute in Reno, NV called the Whittemore-Peterson Institute that has been doing research on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome linking it to a new human retrovirus called XMRV (a xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus) that has been found in 67% of all Chronic Fatigue patients that they have tested. There are only 2 other human retroviruses that have ever been found, the last retrovirus found was in 1982 when the HIV retrovirus was discovered.
This XMRV Retrovirus is the first physical marker that has been found to help prove that there is an underlying cause in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and those that suffer from CFC.
The XMRV Retrovirus is thought to be transmitted through bodily fluids though contact, such as through blood, semen and breast milk. There isn’t a pathway for XMRV to be transmitted through the air.
There is no proof at this point that XMRV is the cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome but it is giving researchers something to look into on if it is the cause behind CFS. The presence of a biomaker is giving hope to many people.