title: Fatigue in primary care.
abstract: Fatigue is a common problem in primary care that may represent a reaction to life problems or be a component of a disease state. A careful history, physical examination, and a few directed laboratory tests can usually allow the physician to differentiate between fatigue caused by depression, situational stress, or physical causes such as postviral or drug-induced fatigue, endocrine disorders, sleep disorders, infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, or neurologic disease. Uncommonly, patients may have otherwise unexplained fatigue lasting 6 months or more that fulfills the criteria of chronic fatigue syndrome. A range of diagnostic skills coupled with a therapeutic physician-patient relationship will usually be successful in treating women with symptoms of fatigue.
authors: Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Tennessee at Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
authors: R E
authors: RE
authors: Morrison
authors: H J
authors: HJ
authors: Keating
mesh_terms: D005221:Fatigue / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010808:Physical Examination; D011320:Primary Health Care