Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Redefining an Illness
- PMID: 25695122
- Bookshelf ID: NBK274235
- DOI: 10.17226/19012
Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Redefining an Illness
Excerpt
Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are serious, debilitating conditions that affect millions of people in the United States and around the world. ME/CFS can cause significant impairment and disability. Despite substantial efforts by researchers to better understand ME/CFS, there is no known cause or effective treatment. Diagnosing the disease remains a challenge, and patients often struggle with their illness for years before an identification is made. Some health care providers have been skeptical about the serious physiological — rather than psychological — nature of the illness. Once diagnosed, patients often complain of receiving hostility from their health care provider as well as being subjected to treatment strategies that exacerbate their symptoms.
Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome proposes new diagnostic clinical criteria for ME/CFS and a new term for the illness — systemic exertion intolerance disease(SEID). According to this report, the term myalgic encephalomyelitis does not accurately describe this illness, and the term chronic fatigue syndrome can result in trivialization and stigmatization for patients afflicted with this illness. Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome stresses that SEID is a medical — not a psychiatric or psychological — illness. This report lists the major symptoms of SEID and recommends a diagnostic process.One of the report's most important conclusions is that a thorough history, physical examination, and targeted work-up are necessary and often sufficient for diagnosis. The new criteria will allow a large percentage of undiagnosed patients to receive an accurate diagnosis and appropriate care.
Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome will be a valuable resource to promote the prompt diagnosis of patients with this complex, multisystem, and often devastating disorder; enhance public understanding; and provide a firm foundation for future improvements in diagnosis and treatment.
Copyright 2015 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Sections
- THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
- COMMITTEE ON THE DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS/CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
- Reviewers
- Preface
- Acronyms and Abbreviations
- Summary
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Background
- 3. Current Case Definitions and Diagnostic Criteria, Terminology, and Symptom Constructs and Clusters
- 4. Review of the Evidence on Major ME/CFS Symptoms and Manifestations
- 5. Review of the Evidence on Other ME/CFS Symptoms and Manifestations
- 6. Pediatric ME/CFS
- 7. Recommendations
- 8. Dissemination Strategy
- APPENDIXES
Similar articles
-
A critical analysis of the proposal of the Institute of Medicine to replace myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome by a new diagnostic entity called systemic exertion intolerance disease.Curr Med Res Opin. 2015;31(7):1333-47. doi: 10.1185/03007995.2015.1045472. Epub 2015 May 29. Curr Med Res Opin. 2015. PMID: 25912615
-
Review of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: an evidence-based approach to diagnosis and management by clinicians.Rev Environ Health. 2015;30(4):223-49. doi: 10.1515/reveh-2015-0026. Rev Environ Health. 2015. PMID: 26613325 Review.
-
Review of case definitions for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).J Transl Med. 2020 Jul 29;18(1):289. doi: 10.1186/s12967-020-02455-0. J Transl Med. 2020. PMID: 32727489 Free PMC article. Review.
-
A systematic review of metabolomic dysregulation in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease (CFS/ME/SEID).J Transl Med. 2020 May 13;18(1):198. doi: 10.1186/s12967-020-02356-2. J Transl Med. 2020. PMID: 32404171 Free PMC article. Review.
-
A systematic review of cytokines in chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis/systemic exertion intolerance disease (CFS/ME/SEID).BMC Neurol. 2019 Aug 24;19(1):207. doi: 10.1186/s12883-019-1433-0. BMC Neurol. 2019. PMID: 31445522 Free PMC article.
Publication types
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources