ReviewCureus2026
Approach to Fatigue in Primary Care: A Practical Diagnostic Framework for General Practitioners.
Review in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Fatigue is one of the most common presenting complaints in primary care and poses a significant diagnostic challenge due to its multifactorial aetiology. While the majority of cases are benign and self-limiting, fatigue may also represent an early manifestation of serious underlying pathology. This review distinguishes between acute fatigue, typically transient and associated with intercurrent illness or lifestyle factors, and chronic fatigue, defined as fatigue persisting for six or more weeks, which is more likely to be multifactorial in origin. This narrative review aims to provide a practical and structured diagnostic framework for general practitioners to evaluate and manage fatigue effectively in the primary care setting. A narrative review of the literature was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar. Searches were limited to articles published in English from 2010 onwards. Search terms included "fatigue," "primary care," "chronic fatigue," "myalgic encephalomyelitis," "post-viral fatigue," "sleep disorders," and "functional somatic syndromes." Seminal references predating 2010 were retained where no suitable replacement was available. This review did not employ a formal systematic search strategy, and no risk-of-bias assessment was performed, consistent with the narrative review format. Fatigue arises from a wide range of physical, psychological, and lifestyle-related causes, best understood through a three-tier classification: primary/idiopathic, secondary, and psychosocial. A systematic approach incorporating thorough history-taking, focused clinical examination, and judicious use of investigations is essential. Identification of red flag symptoms is critical to exclude serious conditions, including malignancy and chronic infections. A structured, patient-centred approach enables general practitioners to manage fatigue effectively while minimising unnecessary investigations and ensuring timely identification of serious disease.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.