CFS: Clinical vs. Research Definition

Clinical vs. Research Definition of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

It is important that the CDC research definition be distinguished from the clinical (medical) picture of chronic fatigue syndrome.
Research definitions are meant to provide a means for grouping patients so that study results can be compared intelligently. They are not meant to be used to describe an entire group of people with an illness, which is the purpose of a clinical definition. In the United States there is no official clinical definition for CFS, which has resulted in the application of the research definition to diagnosis, determination of eligibility for insurance and government benefits, and presentation of the disease in the media.
Patients and their physicians need to be aware of this because, while they may find themselves forced to use the research definition in one context or another, such application in the clinical setting can result in incorrect diagnosis. Helpful treatments may not be made available and, potentially, some patients may receive ineffective or even harmful treatment or advice.
Because of the shortcomings of the research definition, this section on the basics of CFS includes other guides to the symptoms and diagnosis of CFS.

This page written by Margaret Bailey, a retired professional research librarian and a member of the Co-Cure Project team.

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