Functional Somatic Syndromes
Authors: Thomas L. English
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2000)

Letters15 February 2000Functional Somatic SyndromesThomas L. English, MDThomas L. English, MDAsheville, NC 28814 (English)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-132-4-200002150-00021 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Barsky and Borus's review is logically flawed (1). The authors assert that several entities, including the chronic fatigue syndrome, are “functional.” They define functional somatic syndrome as “ … characterized more by symptoms, suffering, and disability than by consistently demonstrable tissue abnormality.” Why include the chronic fatigue syndrome? The authors cite no postmortem examinations, no brain biopsies, no negative findings of any kind. Evidence suggests organic disease: abnormal findings on single-photon emission computed tomography, positron-emission tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging scans (2, 3); hypothalamic hypofunction (4); and cognitive deficits (5). The burden of proof is on the ...References1. Barsky AJ, Borus JF. Functional somatic syndromes. Ann Intern Med. 1999;130:910-21. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Tirelli U, Chierichetti F, Tavio M, Simonelli C, Bianchin G, Zanco P, et al . Brain positron emission tomography (PET) in chronic fatigue syndrome: preliminary data. Am J Med. 1998;105:54S-58S. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Buchwald D, Cheney PR, Peterson DL, Henry B, Wormsley SB, Geiger A, et al . A chronic illness characterized by fatigue, neurologic and immunologic disorders, and active human herpesvirus type 6 infection. Ann Intern Med. 1992;116:103-13. LinkGoogle Scholar4. Demitrak MA, Gold PW, Dale JK, Krahn DD, Kling MA, Straus SE. Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid monamine metabolism in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: preliminary findings. Biol Psychiatry. 1992;32:1065-77. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Sandman CA, Barron JL, Nackoul K, Goldstein J, Fidler G. Memory deficit associated with chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome. Biol Psychiatry. 1993;56:812-5. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Thomas L. English, MDAffiliations: Asheville, NC 28814 (English) PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoFunctional Somatic Syndromes Arthur J. Barsky and Jonathan F. Borus Functional Somatic Syndromes Thomas L. Kurt Functional Somatic Syndromes Arthur J. Barsky and Jonathan F. Borus Functional Somatic Syndromes Terry E. Hedrick Functional Somatic Syndromes James McSherry Functional Somatic Syndromes Kenneth Clemenger Functional Somatic Syndromes Allan Clemenger Functional Somatic Syndromes Ellen Goudsmit Functional Somatic Syndromes Melody Heard Functional Somatic Syndromes Frank Albrecht Metrics Cited byMedically unexplained physical symptoms in medical practice: a psychiatric perspective. 15 February 2000Volume 132, Issue 4Page: 329KeywordsAIDSChronic fatigue syndromeDisabilitiesFibromyalgiaLyme diseaseMagnetic resonance imagingMultiple sclerosisSchizophreniaScientistsTomography ePublished: 15 August 2000 Issue Published: 15 February 2000 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2000 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...