By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

Fifty-four year old Kim Hwa-suk always feels tired - it is hard for her to wake up in the morning and she dozes off from time to time during her waking hours.

Kim gets enough sleep - seven to eight hours a day - but still finds it hard to get up feeling fresh. Kim is a housewife in Seoul and spoke of her symptoms during an interview.

Initially, she thought she had caught a cold or was simply suffering from muscle pain. But the condition has persisted for months. "I was recently informed that it could be chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)," she said.

She visited a nearby clinic and was advised to get an overall health examination.

Lying down all day complaining about being tired used to be perceived as laziness, but according to health authorities, it could be symptomatic of CFS, a disorder that affects a person's overall health.

The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) said the number of days people visit hospitals for CFS treatment has risen by 12.5 percent in four years.

Those between 40 and 49 years old were the most frequent visitors at 24 percent of the total. Health authorities assume stress is the main contributing factor in this age bracket.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CFS patients have severe chronic fatigue for six months or longer as well as other medical conditions that may not be clinically diagnosed. They also have substantial impairment of their short-term memory and concentration, a sore throat, tender lymph nodes, muscle pain, multi-joint pain without swelling or redness, and headaches.

Korean patients with these symptoms were also diagnosed with and treated for various other symptoms such as digestive and breathing problems among others. About 14.1 percent were reported with some mental health issues, as well.

CFS and its symptoms could be even more serious than previously thought, as U.S. health authorities said that most of patients there are seriously impaired, with at least a quarter unemployed or on disability. They advised potential patients to have through examinations for an accurate diagnosis.

Dr. Kim Sun-mi at Korea University Hospital said, "There isn't a consensus on treatment yet for the disease, but I recommend patients get aerobic exercise and therapy for sleep disorders." CFS is covered by the national health insurance.

The HIRA advised people to cut down on excessive drinking of alcohol and caffeinated drinks, quit smoking, and take plenty of rest. They also advised getting regular blood pressure checks to prevent hypertension and eating well balanced meals.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr