Aslangul, Elisabeth, Le Jeunne, Claire · La Revue du praticien · 2005
This article discusses how doctors can distinguish between general tiredness (asthenia) and ME/CFS, which is a serious long-term illness characterized by severe fatigue that doesn't improve with rest. The authors review the clinical features and diagnostic approaches that help healthcare providers identify ME/CFS in their patients. Understanding these differences is important so patients receive appropriate diagnosis and care.
Accurate diagnosis of ME/CFS is critical for patients, as misdiagnosis can lead to inappropriate treatment and delayed access to suitable support. This review addresses diagnostic challenges that clinicians face in distinguishing ME/CFS from other fatigue-related conditions, ultimately benefiting patient care pathways.
This review article does not present primary research data or establish new biomarkers, mechanistic pathways, or therapeutic interventions for ME/CFS. It synthesizes existing clinical knowledge and does not prove causation or provide epidemiological evidence for the underlying disease mechanisms.
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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Primary citation
Aslangul, Elisabeth & Le Jeunne, Claire (2005). [Diagnosing asthenia and chronic fatigue syndrome].. La Revue du praticien. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16052977/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-aslangul-2005-diagnosing-asthenia,
author = {Aslangul, Elisabeth and Le Jeunne, Claire},
title = {[Diagnosing asthenia and chronic fatigue syndrome].},
journal = {La Revue du praticien},
year = {2005},
note = {PubMed: 16052977},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/aslangul-2005-diagnosing-asthenia},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/aslangul-2005-diagnosing-asthenia
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