Many people with ME/CFS are unable to work fulltime, and up to a quarter are house- or bed-bound. ME/CFS can a have a big impact on a person’s ability to carry out normal activities, including everyday tasks, keeping a job, going to school, and taking part in family and social life. The illness touches all social groups and all ages, including children, and women are more likely than men to be affected. The course of the illness can also be variable: some people improve quite quickly, while others develop chronic illness lasting many years. The physical symptoms vary in severity between individuals, but can be as disabling as multiple sclerosis, congestive heart failure and other chronic conditions. ME/CFS affects an estimated 250,000 people in the UK and over one million people in the USA – this is more than the number with HIV infection or multiple sclerosis. One important question is why ME/CFS happens in some people but not in others, and research studies continue to look for differences in the genes that may explain this. More recently, people with chronic illness following COVID-19 have reported symptoms similar to those associated with ME/CFS. Herpesviruses, enteroviruses and Q fever have all been suggested as possible triggers of ME/CFS. In some people the illness develops gradually over months or years, while in others it appears to be triggered by a viral or bacterial infection. ME and CFS are recorded separately by the World Health Organisation, with both being classified as diseases of the nervous system. It is important to remember that differences in the name do not change the lived experiences of those affected by illness. However, many healthcare systems, healthcare professionals and researchers commonly use the term ME/CFS – and that is why many charities do so also. Each has a separate history and differences in main symptoms. There have been many names given to the illness over the years, but at the moment the most widely recognised are myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and, separately, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Unlike the tiredness experienced by healthy people, the fatigue associated with ME/CFS can happen after even mild or moderate effort, and may occur hours or days afterwards.
Other less-common symptoms include headaches, sore throat and difficulties with vision.ĭifferent people experience different combinations of these symptoms, and they can also vary in severity between individuals. Memory or concentration problems ( cognitive dysfunction).Intense fatigue and a feeling of being unwell ( post-exertional malaise) that is not improved by rest, and can be worse after physical or mental effort.Accessed February 23, 2017.ME/CFS is an illness affecting many different parts of the body, and which can last for a long time in some people.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke website. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) fact sheet.
What is Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)? GBS/CIDP Foundation International website. Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy: practice essentials, background, pathophysiology. The (mis)diagnosis of CIDP: The high price of missing the mark. University of Rochester Medical Center website. Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy. University of Chicago Center for Peripheral Neuropathy website. Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP).
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