Fatigue & Autoimmune Diseases
Fatigue is being very tired, weary, and lacking energy. Often, it is a symptom of other health problems.
Signs & Symptoms
- Feeling drained of energy.
- Feeling exhausted.
- Having a very hard time doing normal activities.
- Having low motivation.
- Feeling inadequate.
- Having low sex drive.
Causes
Causes that need medical care include anemia, depression, heart disease, and chronic fatigue syndrome (the fatigue lasts at least 6 months). Fatigue is also a common symptom of autoimmune diseases. These include diabetes, low thyroid, multiple sclerosis and lupus (the systemic type).
Other physical causes include lack of leisure activities or lack of sleep, poor diet, side effects from allergies, chemical sensitivities or drug or alcohol addiction, being in hot, humid conditions, and prolonged effects of the flu or a bad cold. The after-effects of having COVID-19 should also be considered.
Possible emotional causes are burnout, boredom and a major life change (e.g., divorce, retirement, etc.).
Treatment
Treatment for fatigue depends on the cause(s). Keep track of any other symptoms that occur with the fatigue. This helps find out both physical and emotional causes.
- The whites of your eyes and/or your skin look yellow.
- Dark urine. Stools are pale and clay-colored. Vomiting and nausea. Fever.
- Loss of appetite and/or weight loss. Pain in the abdomen.
- Blurred vision, double vision, or the loss of vision in one eye.
- Bladder problems (infections, incontinence, urinating often).
- Feelings of pins and needles in the limbs.
- Muscle spasms; poor coordination.
- Mood swings, irritability, depression, anxiety, euphoria.
- Passing urine often. Abnormally increased thirst and hunger. Rapid weight loss or excessive weight gain.
- Extreme irritability or drowsiness. Nausea and vomiting.
- Itching and/or skin infections that don’t clear up easily. Tingling, numbness, or pain in the arms and legs.
- Blurred vision.
- Fever.
- Sore throat. Swollen lymph glands in the neck area.
- Loss of appetite. Pain in the upper left abdomen.