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Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome

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Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), is a complex long-term medical condition,[1] which often stops those who have it from working or living normally.[1]

Overview

ME/CFS is not fully understood.[1] Diagnosis is based on the person's symptoms, typically including pain due to the lack of an agreed diagnostic test.[2] There is no agreed definition on ME/CFS, but it may affect as many as 1% of the population in some regions.[3]

Possible causes

The significant neuroimmune overlaps in multiple sclerosis (MS) and MS/CFS may be based on shared immunoinflammatory, oxidative and nitrosative stress (O+NS), autoimmune and mitochondrial pathways, and brain dysfunctions. CMI = cell-mediated immunity; NKCA: natural killer cell activity; PICs = proinflammatory cytokines; Th = T helper; Treg = T regulatory.

Medical experts have proposed several possible causes for the condition, including but not limited to:

Symptoms

The main symptoms are summarized in the following image.

The four symptoms of ME/CFS.

Illness severity

ME/CFS often leads to serious disability, but the degree varies considerably.[7] It is commonly classified into four categories of illness severity:[8]: Script error: The function "hyphen2dash" does not exist., [8] [9]: Script error: The function "hyphen2dash" does not exist., [10] 

  • People with mild ME/CFS can usually work and care for themselves, but need free time for recovery
  • Moderate severity obstructs daily activities, causing difficulty working
  • Those with severe ME/CFS are homebound, with limited ability to care for themselves
  • With very severe ME/CFS, people are mostly bed-bound and cannot care for themselves

Impact

ME/CFS patients have lower quality of life, when evaluated by the SF-36 questionnaire, in terms of physical and social functioning and general health,[clarification needed] but their mental health and emotional functioning are not much lower than those of healthy individuals.[10] Functional impairment in ME/CFS can be greater than multiple sclerosis, heart disease, or lung cancer.[11] Fewer than half of people with ME/CFS are employed, while one in five have a full-time job.[12]

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/chronic Fatigue Syndrome Media

  • Typical time frames of post-exertional malaise after normal daily activities

  • Results of a study on the quality of life of individuals with ME/CFS, showing it to be lower than in 20 other chronic conditions

  • When people with ME/CFS exercise on consecutive days, their performance declines on the second day, unlike those with unexplained chronic fatigue (ICF).

  • Could You Have ME/CFS? handout from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  • A heart rate monitor can be helpful for energy management.

  • Presentation of a petition to the National Assembly for Wales relating to ME support in South East Wales

  • The blue ribbon is used for ME/CFS awareness.

  • Graph of ME/CFS papers published by year:     Papers mentioning ME or CFS     Papers whose title mentions ME/CFS

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Etiology and Pathophysiology | Presentation and Clinical Course | Healthcare Providers | Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) | CDC (in en-us). www.cdc.gov (2021-09-28). Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  2. ↑ Systematic Review of the Epidemiological Burden of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Across Europe: Current Evidence and EUROMENE Research Recommendations for Epidemiology. Journal of Clinical medicine (May 2020).
  3. ↑ UK Government Web Archive. webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Unexplained Post-Acute Infection Syndromes. Nature Medicine 28 (5) (May 2022). p. 911–923. doi:10.1038/s41591-022-01810-6.
  5. ↑ Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Essentials of Diagnosis and Management. Mayo Clinic Proceedings 96 (11) (November 2021). p. 2861–2878. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2021.07.004.
  6. ↑ Unravelling Shared Mechanisms: Insights from Recent ME/CFS Research to Illuminate Long COVID Pathologies. Trends in Molecular Medicine 30 (5) (March 2024). p. 443–458. doi:10.1016/j.molmed.2024.02.003.
  7. ↑ Clinical Overview of ME/CFS (10 May 2024)U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  8. ↑ Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Or Encephalopathy)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Diagnosis and Management: NICE Guideline (29 October 2021)National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  9. ↑ BMJ Best Practice: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) (January 2024)BMJ Publishing Group. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  10. ↑ CDC Grand Rounds: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – Advancing Research and Clinical Education. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 65 (50–51) (December 2016). p. 1434–1438. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm655051a4. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  11. ↑ Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Essentials of Diagnosis and Management. Mayo Clinic Proceedings 96 (11) (November 2021). p. 2861–2878. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2021.07.004.
  12. ↑ Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Of the Prevalence of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME). Journal of Translational Medicine 18 (1) (February 2020). p. 100. doi:10.1186/s12967-020-02269-0.
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