A LEMON a Day Keeps Fatigue Away - The ABCDE of Fatigue.

Abstract

Fatigue is a common symptom in clinical medicine. The complex and multifaceted etiopathogenesis of fatigue is a challenge for the differential diagnosis and management of fatigue. This brief communication shares two simple mnemonics - LEMON and ABCDE - which help in the evaluation of fatigue. These frameworks are as relevant to endocrinology and diabetes as to general practice. The mnemonic LEMON stands for lifestyle, endocrine, medical/metabolic, observer (physician) and nutrition-related factors which may cause fatigue; ABCDE lists the aetiology of fatigue in three columns related to physiological/nutritional, psychosocial and biomedical causes (each column includes one cause and how this relates to the ABCDE rubric).