Jump to content

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

[change | change source]

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

[change | change source]
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

[change | change source]

The main symptoms are summarized in the following image.

The four symptoms of ME/CFS.

Illness severity

[change | change source]

ME/CFS often leads to serious disability, but the degree varies considerably.[7] It is commonly classified into four categories of illness severity:[8]: 8 [9]: 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

[change | change source]

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]

References

[change | change source]
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Etiology and Pathophysiology | Presentation and Clinical Course | Healthcare Providers | Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) | CDC". 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 – via PubMed.
  3. ↑ "UK Government Web Archive". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Choutka J, Jansari V, Hornig M, Iwasaki A (May 2022). "Unexplained Post-Acute Infection Syndromes". Nature Medicine. 28 (5): 911–923. doi:10.1038/s41591-022-01810-6. PMID 35585196. S2CID 248889597.
  5. ↑ Bateman L, Bested AC, Bonilla HF, Chheda BV, Chu L, Curtin JM, Dempsey TT, Dimmock ME, Dowell TG, Felsenstein D, Kaufman DL, Klimas NG, Komaroff AL, Lapp CW, Levine SM, Montoya JG, Natelson BH, Peterson DL, Podell RN, Rey IR, Ruhoy IS, Vera-Nunez MA, Yellman BP (November 2021). "Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Essentials of Diagnosis and Management". Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 96 (11): 2861–2878. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2021.07.004. PMID 34454716. S2CID 237419583.
  6. ↑ Annesley SJ, Missailidis D, Heng B, Josev EK, Armstrong CW (March 2024). "Unravelling Shared Mechanisms: Insights from Recent ME/CFS Research to Illuminate Long COVID Pathologies". Trends in Molecular Medicine. 30 (5): 443–458. doi:10.1016/j.molmed.2024.02.003. PMID 38443223.
  7. ↑ "Clinical Overview of ME/CFS". U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 10 May 2024. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  8. ↑ "Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Or Encephalopathy)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Diagnosis and Management: NICE Guideline". National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). 29 October 2021. Archived from the original on 8 February 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  9. ↑ Baraniuk JN, Marshall-Gradisnik S, Eaton-Fitch N (January 2024). BMJ Best Practice: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). BMJ Publishing Group. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  10. ↑ Unger ER, Lin JS, Brimmer DJ, Lapp CW, Komaroff AL, Nath A, Laird S, Iskander J (December 2016). "CDC Grand Rounds: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – Advancing Research and Clinical Education" (PDF). MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 65 (50–51): 1434–1438. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm655051a4. PMID 28033311. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 January 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  11. ↑ Bateman L, Bested AC, Bonilla HF, Chheda BV, Chu L, Curtin JM, Dempsey TT, Dimmock ME, Dowell TG, Felsenstein D, Kaufman DL, Klimas NG, Komaroff AL, Lapp CW, Levine SM, Montoya JG, Natelson BH, Peterson DL, Podell RN, Rey IR, Ruhoy IS, Vera-Nunez MA, Yellman BP (November 2021). "Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Essentials of Diagnosis and Management". Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 96 (11): 2861–2878. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2021.07.004. PMID 34454716. S2CID 237419583.
  12. ↑ Lim EJ, Ahn YC, Jang ES, Lee SW, Lee SH, Son CG (February 2020). "Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Of the Prevalence of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME)". Journal of Translational Medicine. 18 (1): 100. doi:10.1186/s12967-020-02269-0. PMC 7038594. PMID 32093722.
Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Myalgic_encephalomyelitis/chronic_fatigue_syndrome&oldid=10101080"