Q. How does transmission of CFIDS occur?

A. CFIDS is the acronym for a syndrome, a collection of symptoms. Therefore, the syndrome itself is not transmitted. Any number of viruses that can attack the immune system and set it up for the development of the syndrome may be transmitted. In addition, the modes of transmission for these viruses remain unclear. The vast majority of people who live or work closely with individuals who have been diagnosed with CFIDS do not develop the syndrome so it is thought that causative organisms are either not easily transmitted from one person to another or that some co-factors must be present.

The symptoms of CFIDS often wax and wane, appear and disappear—sometimes daily. Some symptoms are listed below, ranked from most commonly seen to less frequently seen:

• Severe, debilitating and disabling fatigue, often made worse by physical exercise
• Recurrent flu-like illness, often with chronic sore throat
• Low grade fevers and feeling hot often
• Roving muscle and joint aches with tender trigger points
• Painful and swollen lymph nodes, especially on the sides of the neck and underarms
• Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, intestinal gas, irritable bowel syndrome
• Severe nasal and other allergies, often the worsening of an existing or previous condition
• Night sweats and/or heart palpitations