CFS CFS History and Nomenclature

Question 1

What was the original nickname given to CFS following an outbreak in Incline Village, Nevada in the 1980s?

Accepted Answer

Yuppie flu

Answer

The dismissive nickname 'yuppie flu' was applied after the 1984–1985 Incline Village outbreak, as it appeared to affect primarily young, affluent professionals.

Question 2

What was the first official name given to what we now call CFS by the CDC in 1988?

Accepted Answer

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)

Answer

The CDC coined the term 'chronic fatigue syndrome' in 1988, which was a working name that has since been criticized for trivializing the severity of the illness.

Question 3

What does 'ME' stand for in the combined term ME/CFS?

Accepted Answer

Myalgic encephalomyelitis

Answer

ME stands for myalgic encephalomyelitis, a term that predates CFS and emphasizes the muscle pain (myalgia) and brain/spinal cord inflammation (encephalomyelitis) aspects of the disease.

Question 4

When was the first documented ME outbreak officially recognized?

Accepted Answer

1934, Los Angeles County Hospital

Answer

One of the earliest documented ME outbreaks occurred in 1934 at Los Angeles County Hospital, affecting medical staff.

Question 5

What name has been proposed by the Institute of Medicine (now NAM) in their landmark 2015 report?

Accepted Answer

Systemic exertion intolerance disease (SEID)

Answer

The 2015 IOM report proposed renaming CFS to Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease (SEID) to better reflect the central role of exertion intolerance in the condition.

CFS - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Practice Test

CFS - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Practice Test

CFS CFS History and Nomenclature