Abstract
In Japan, the majority of school children in previously healthy children and adolescents are suffering from chronic fatigue, according to the report by the research group of the Ministry of Health and Welfare (Okuno et al, 1999). These symptoms in child and adolescent cases greatly interfere with normal function at school. We have encountered many such patients with associated indefinite or definite complaints; their major symptoms are general fatigue, a low-grade fever, central nervous system symptoms, such as moderate or severe depression, memory disturbance, confusion, and poor concentration, and/or sleep disturbance. Although the diagnostic criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), such as the Center for Disease Control (CDC) are useful for adult cases, each of which has a distinct view of childhood CFS cases so that not all pediatric patients meet diagnostic criteria for CFS. Our major goal in this study is to determine the diagnostic criteria for childhood type chronic fatigue in Japan to carry out its definitions. Putting the different views together in pediatric cases is valuable to get a more complete picture. To better understand the pediatric cases of CFS in Japan we conducted a detailed analysis of our patients and proposed new diagnostic criteria for CCFS. [J Physiol Sci. 2007;57 Suppl:S41]
