For years there was concern overthe CDC having the same ME/CFS diagnostic criteria for both children and adults. In 2006, a pediatric case definition was created. To read the pediatric case definition/criteria for ME/CFS, read my post Pediatric Case Definition for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Even with the pediatric case definition, there is still a lot of confusion and doubt in school teachers and other adults who are not aware of the symptoms of the illness. To provide more insight into pediatric ME/CFS, 27 children with the illness were interviewed via questionnaires. The results of the questionnaires revealed that:
- It takes up to 18 months for children to receive a proper diagnosis of ME/CFS.
- Symptoms are similar to those of adults and teenagers with CFS tend to have stomach aches.
- Most of thechildren with ME/CFSexperiencedproblems at their school due to their illness.
- Nearly every child interviewed had given up their activities due to the ME/CFS.
- ME/CFS children would face negative responses when they tried to engage in extracirricular activities.
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