MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL SURVEY ON CFS
KEY FINDINGS

• 75% of survey respondents believe that CFS, also known as CFIDS, is at least as disabling (53%) or more disabling (22%) than other chronic diseases such as lupus, multiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis.
• According to half of the respondents, lack of a diagnostic test is the greatest barrier to accurately diagnosing CFS. 35% feel the greatest barrier is lack of a known cause and 31% said it is due to lack of knowledge about CFS in the medical community.*
• 68% of physicians surveyed said they use patient history to arrive at a CFS diagnosis. 72% exclude other common causes for symptoms, 10% use diagnostic procedures such as tilt table testing and 25% rely on lab tests. 
• 69% of respondents answered that it is possible to make a diagnosis in children 12 and over, while only 18% believe you can diagnose CFS in children age 5 to 12.
• No one cause was cited by a majority of respondents as the primary cause of CFS. The largest group, 37%, believe the primary cause of CFS is immune dysfunction, while an almost equal number, 33%, said that the cause is unknown.
• 83% cited impaired memory or concentration as the most common non-fatigue related symptom in CFS patients.
• 40% said there was a symptom other than fatigue that made them more likely to suspect CFIDS or without which they would not make a diagnosis. The most common answer was post-exertional malaise, which is incapacitating fatigue lasting more than 24 hours after physical or mental exhaustion.
• In terms of treatment, the largest percentage of respondents (69%) counsel patients on making lifestyle adjustments, while smaller percentages also prescribe treatments for the various symptoms of CFS such as antidepressants, sleep aids, nutritional supplements, pain medication, immune modulators, antivirals or antibiotics and cardiovascular or blood pressure drugs.
• 77% of the medical professionals feel that the amount of professional education about CFS is not adequate and that more is needed.
• 87% of respondents indicated a need for more funding for CFS research.
• Approximately half of the respondents (57%) feel the general public is not very well informed about CFS. 11% thought that the public is somewhat informed and 0% feel that the public is well informed. 32% actually feel the public is somewhat to very misinformed about CFS.

 *(Note: some statistics equal more than 100% due to multiple answers provided by respondents)