The newly defined condition – sometimes referred to as ‘Yuppie flu’ – chronic fatigue syndrome is characterised by a variety of symptoms including persistent fatigue, sore throat, headaches, mild fever, and muscle and joint pain. Its cause is still a bit of a mystery although it is commonly thought to be triggered by a viral infection such as glandular fever or meningitis. In the absence of any virus it can also show as symptom of serious diseases of the heart or lungs, or even cancer.



