Fatigue common, but shouldn't be ignored

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Sept. 4 (UPI) -- Feeling fatigued is so prevalent an estimated 20 percent to 30 percent of all U.S. patients report this symptom to their primary physician.

Dr. Andrew Heyman, of the University of Michigan, says "feeling fatigued is something people shouldn't ignore."

He advises that the physician do a comprehensive evaluation of a patient to diagnose what may be causing each individual's fatigue. Heyman notes that fatigue rarely stems from a single cause. "A lot of things happen that cause fatigue: hormone levels change, respiratory patterns changes, heart rhythms change," he says. "It occurs on all levels of the body, at the cellular level, the organ-system level, and can include include psychiatric factors such as low energy from depression."

Some of the many causes of fatigue include:

-- Sleep disorders, such as insomnia and sleep apnea.

-- Ongoing pain, including conditions such as fibromyalgia.

-- An under active thyroid, known as hypothyroidism.

-- Use of alcohol, illegal drugs, or overuse of medications.

-- Depression.

-- Infectious diseases such as mononucleosis, tuberculosis or AIDS.

-- Poor eating habits, malnutrition or eating disorders.

-- Cancer.

-- Congestive heart failure.

-- Diabetes.

-- Lupus and other autoimmune disorders.

-- Chronic fatigue syndrome.