Chronic fatigue syndrome answers sought.

NEARLY 20 YEARS AFTER BEING namedasaclinicalentity,chronic fatiguesyndrome(CFS)remains a puzzling disease. Bolstered by recent findingsprovidingcluestofactorsthatplay arole inthedisorder,healthofficialshave launched an effort to alert patients and physicianstothesyndrome’spotentialseriousness. They discussed the endeavor during a recent telebriefing. “ Sometimes people question if [CFS is]realornotreal,”saidJulieGerberding, MD,MPH,directoroftheCentersforDisease Control and Prevention (CDC), in Atlanta.Inadditiontodemonstratingthat this illness is real, researchersareuncovering potential triggers and treatments.