# CFS and ME



## missamerica (Jan 8, 2009)

Hey guys,Thank you to M&M for drawing my attention to this part of the forum. I hadn't seen it until now!!I want to ask a stupid question.. hehe.Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome the same thing as ME?


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## baz22p (Dec 1, 2008)

Hi, not a stupid question - check-out this site:http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Chronic-fatig...what-is-it.aspxBaz


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## missamerica (Jan 8, 2009)

Thanks Baz!I was totally unaware they were 2 of the same! Little bit of a shocker! Thanks for the website tho and your other help in my other threads!


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## baz22p (Dec 1, 2008)

No probs missamerica, we are going through much the same situ so it's gret to be able to share info. It is a bit of a shocker I agree - ME souds so much worse (probably because it sounds like MS; but at least people respond more to the term 'ME' than 'CFS').Baz


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## M&M (Jan 20, 2002)

Not a stupid question at all. In fact, it's a really GOOD question, and a really controversial question too. Here are 2 links off of our CFS FAQ that are better, more thorough, more up-to-date, and more accurate than the one already posted. Enjoy!http://www.ahummingbirdsguide.com/thetermi...gyexplained.htmhttp://www.meassociation.org.uk/content/view/89/83/Currently, the thought among the true researchers is this: The diagnostic criteria set up for CFS by the CDC (here in the states) in the 80's was only set up for study purposes - not for diagnostic purposes. The criteria are so vague, that just about anything causing fatigue with no apparent reason can be called "CFS". That means a lot of illnesses can be mislabeled as "CFS" because that particular label doesn't refer to an exact, distinct disease.ME, on the other hand, is a systemic neurological disease initiated by a viral infection. There are objective clinical tests that can verify an ME diagnosis, as it causes real, visible, distinct damage to the brain (especially in the brain stem) which can easily be spotted with scans.The good, in depth researchers specify that ME is not another name for CFS, nor a sub-group of CFS. Patients currently diagnosed as having "CFS" are not "ME" patients, because the criteria for ME is totally different from the CFS criteria. Patients with CFS normally suffer from fatigue on an extended basis, but ME patients deal with a multitude of neurological symptoms affecting every major body systems.It's still a somewhat controversial topic, but I hope this will help clarify a little!


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## M&M (Jan 20, 2002)

Just thought I'd add a little more information from the first link I posted, which is an excellent website to learn about ME. This is one of the most accurate, up-to-date, comprehensive M.E. websites on the internet today. I encourage anyone interested in learning about ME to take a look around it. Here's the home page: http://www.ahummingbirdsguide.com/index.htmTaken from: A Hummingbird's Guide to M.E....http://www.ahummingbirdsguide.com/themesymptomlist.htm


> M.E. is also not defined by 'fatigue following exertion which can last up to 24 hours' as the bogus definitions of 'CFS' describe. Fatigue following activity (or post-exertional fatigue or malaise) is a common symptom of a large number of different illnesses - but what is happening in M.E. is quite different. Overexertion does not cause fatigue in M.E. but instead a worsening of the severity of the illness generally and of various neurological, cognitive, cardiac, cardiovascular, immunological, muscular and gastrointestinal (and other) symptoms. The severity of these symptoms can range from mild to severe to life-threatening. The effects of overexertion can last for hours, days, weeks or even many months in M.E., or can even be permanent. What defines M.E. is not 'chronic fatigue' but a specific type of acquired damage to the brain. Myalgic encephalomyelitis is an acutely acquired illness initiated by a virus infection with multi system involvement which is characterised by post encephalitic damage to the brain stem; a nerve centre through which many spinal nerve tracts connect with higher centres in the brain in order to control all vital bodily functions - this is always damaged in M.E. (Hence the name Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.) Central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction, and in particular, inconsistent CNS dysfunction is undoubtedly both the chief cause of disability in M.E. and the most critical in the definition of the entire disease process.Myalgic Encephalomyelitis is a loss of the ability of the CNS (the brain) to adequately receive, interpret, store and recover information which enables it to control vital body functions (cognitive, hormonal, cardiovascular, autonomic and sensory nerve communication, digestive, visual auditory balance etc). It is a loss of normal internal homeostasis. The individual can no longer function systemically within normal limits. This dysfunction also results in the inability of the CNS to consistently programme and achieve normal smooth end organ response. There is also multi-system involvement of cardiac and skeletal muscle, liver, lymphoid and endocrine organs. Some individuals also have damage to skeletal and heart muscle.M.E. is primarily neurological, but because the brain controls all vital bodily functions virtually every bodily system can be affected by M.E. Again, although M.E. is primarily neurological it is also known that the vascular and cardiac dysfunctions seen in M.E. are also the cause of many of the symptoms and much of the disability associated with M.E. - and that the well-documented mitochondrial abnormalities present in M.E. significantly contribute to both of these pathologies. There is also multi-system involvement of cardiac and skeletal muscle, liver, lymphoid and endocrine organs in M.E. Some individuals also have damage to skeletal and heart muscle. Thus Myalgic Encephalomyelitis symptoms are manifested by virtually all bodily systems including: cognitive, cardiac, cardiovascular, immunological, endocrinological, respiratory, hormonal, gastrointestinal and musculo-skeletal dysfunctions and damage. There is just no other illness that is even remotely like M.E. M.E. is a distinct, recognisable disease entity which contrary to popular belief is not difficult to diagnose and can in fact be diagnosed relatively early in the course of the disease (within just a few weeks) - providing that the physician has some experience with the illness. (The usual case of M.E. is so distinct that people with M.E. can recognise fellow sufferers almost in an instant.) Although there is (as yet) no single test which can be used to diagnose M.E. there are a series of tests which can confirm a suspected M.E. diagnosis.


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## missamerica (Jan 8, 2009)

Wow all this good information! Thank you so much. I'm just coming to terms with it all after being sick for a couple years and the Dr's never really knowing what was wrong.Can ME occur from having glandular fever/ mononucleosis as it is an infection? Because I have been sick ever since I got that and my body's never been the same since.


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## M&M (Jan 20, 2002)

Yeah, that's a fairly common thing among ME patients! I had that when I was a teenager, and never fully recuperated from it either. That's kind of a classic presentation and is also an interesting thing - as that virus is in the herpes virus family. In fact, recent research has found HHV-6 (Human Herpesvirus 6) markers in many ME patients, which is a viral marker of MS as well. It normally is a virus that is latent in adulthood, but in certain patients a reactivation occurs. That reactivation can cause all kinds of problems, such as auto-immune disorders and nervous system diseases.


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