Fatigue is a warning sign of many causes.
Autumn is a season where fatigue dominates. “Habitual, or reactive, fatigue is the most common and corresponds to different situations, such as those linked to overwork, stress, convalescence, jet lag, night work.… Fatigue can also be linked to a pathology (almost all illnesses cause fatigue) whether mental (depression, burn-out) or physical (cardiac, renal, hepatic, etc.)”, reminds us of Luc Bodin, former doctor, graduate in clinical oncology, specialist in energy care and natural therapies and author of the book “Vaincre la fatigue” (ed. Guy Trédaniel). “We are not going to automatically give assessments to all the people who are tired otherwise we would all be doing analyzes“, reestablishes the expert. On the other hand, when fatigue persists for a certain period of time, for example 10 to 15 days and despite rest, investigations must be carried out. Like a police investigation, we will take a closer look , proceed in stages and eliminate several possible causes of fatigue.
When fatigue is isolated, without other symptoms, and persistent, you should consult your general practitioner who, after a questioning and a physical examination, will prescribe a blood test including a complete blood count (CBC) and a ferritin dosage. “In women, we will particularly look for iron deficiency, which is a major cause of fatigue and can cause anemia. You should also look for a vitamin D deficiency, especially during this period of lack of sunlight.“It may then be interesting to do an assay of the sedimentation rate or C-reactive protein (CRP) to look for inflammation.”Its existence could mean that there is a health problem, perhaps an illness somewhere in the body: kidney, heart, digestive pathology, unbalanced intestinal flora, diabetes, a thyroid problem or at the level of the liver…”, he continues.
The assessment can be completed by a blood sugar test to look for diabetes, a creatinine test to look for kidney disease, a TSH and T4 test to look for thyroid disease. , a dosage of transaminases and gamma GT to look for a liver problem, a dosage of CPK and LDH (muscle enzymes). Thirdly, if the previous assessment is normal, it is necessary to go further with serologies: HIV test, hepatitis B and C, etc., a dosage of tumor markers, a chest x-ray, an electrocardiogram, a urine examination (ECBU , proteinuria), a polysomnographic recording looking for sleep apnea syndrome…
If the tests still yield nothing, a neuropsychological disorder such as depression or burn-out may be considered. Finally, if all the assessments and examinations have detected nothing and the fatigue persists, chronic fatigue syndrome will be considered. “It affects between 0.5% and 3% of people in France and its cause is still poorly understood. Conventional treatments remain limited with the taking of medications for depression, sleep or pain, the practice of physical activity and the use of cognitive and behavioral therapies. Some natural treatments can help.