Hi Alita - Thanks for the additional info, I thought that was what you meant but wanted to be sure. It's a good question. The best explanation I've found in lay language comes from Web M.D.:
Until the late 1980s, myalgic encephalomyelitis was thought to be a distinct, infectious disorder affecting the central, peripheral and autonomic nervous systems and the muscles. Its major symptom was fatigue to the point of extended periods of exhaustion. A group of experts studying the Epstein-Barr virus first published strict criteria for the symptoms and physical signs of chronic fatigue syndrome in 1988. This case definition was further refined in 1994.
The Fact Sheet for CFS published by the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health states that "[T]oday, CFS is also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis, postviral fatigue syndrome, and chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome." ME/CFS is now recognized as part of a range of illnesses that have fatigue as a major symptom.
ME/CFS is not rare. The CDC estimates that there are as many as 500,000 persons in the United States who have CFS-like symptoms. However, the disorder remains debilitating, complex and mysterious in origin, natural history, understanding and treatment.
The full reference is here: http://www.webmd.com/brain/chronic-fatigue-syndromemyalgic-encephalomyelitis#nord416-disorder-subdivisions
I see that Cary has also provided you with information on this condition. Please let us know if this helps and if you have any further questions.
Pat
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Hi Alita - Thanks for the additional info, I thought that was what you meant but wanted to be sure. It's a good question. The best explanation I've found in lay language comes from Web M.D.:
Until the late 1980s, myalgic encephalomyelitis was thought to be a distinct, infectious disorder affecting the central, peripheral and autonomic nervous systems and the muscles. Its major symptom was fatigue to the point of extended periods of exhaustion. A group of experts studying the Epstein-Barr virus first published strict criteria for the symptoms and physical signs of chronic fatigue syndrome in 1988. This case definition was further refined in 1994.
The Fact Sheet for CFS published by the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health states that "[T]oday, CFS is also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis, postviral fatigue syndrome, and chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome." ME/CFS is now recognized as part of a range of illnesses that have fatigue as a major symptom.
ME/CFS is not rare. The CDC estimates that there are as many as 500,000 persons in the United States who have CFS-like symptoms. However, the disorder remains debilitating, complex and mysterious in origin, natural history, understanding and treatment.
The full reference is here: http://www.webmd.com/brain/chronic-fatigue-syndromemyalgic-encephalomyelitis#nord416-disorder-subdivisions
I see that Cary has also provided you with information on this condition. Please let us know if this helps and if you have any further questions.
October 29, 2010 - 4:14pmPat
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