James' World 2

Click the link below the picture

.

New research seems to offer some long-sought insights into the perplexing and devastating condition known as myalgic encephalomyelitis, also called chronic fatigue syndrome. The National Institutes of Health-led study found several potentially key differences in the brains and immune systems of people with ME/CFS compared to healthy controls. The findings could help point to possible future treatments, the researchers say.

ME/CFS is a debilitating ailment. It’s characterized by three core symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: a greatly reduced ability to perform daily functions and long-term fatigue (lasting at least six months)—fatigue that isn’t driven by strenuous exertion or relieved by rest; a worsening of symptoms after bouts of activity that previously didn’t tire someone out, also known as post-exertional malaise; and sleep problems. Sufferers will also often experience a variety of other health issues, such as brain fog, blood pressure spikes upon standing up, chronic pain, and digestive problems.

The term chronic fatigue syndrome was first coined in the 1980s, though reports of a similar illness date back to the early 20th century. For much of its history, the public and some doctors have viewed ME/CFS as a purely psychological disorder, and patients have struggled to receive recognition and care as a result (this is one reason why advocates prefer the term myalgic encephalomyelitis over chronic fatigue). More recently, the medical establishment has come to a consensus view of ME/CFS as a physiological disease, though not one with easy answers.

ME/CFS is thought to predominantly be a post-infectious condition, triggered by the body’s dysfunctional reaction to a germ. There appear to be several pathogens that are more likely to cause ME/CFS than others, such as the Epstein-Barr virus. And some experts argue that at least a subset of long covid cases are effectively ME/CFS cases caused by the coronavirus. But only a small percentage of people seem to ever develop ME/CFS (according to one estimate from the National Academy of Medicine, up to 2.5 million Americans may be living with it). And scientists haven’t yet figured out how the condition emerges following an infection, nor established biomarkers that would allow us to diagnose it easily. There are no approved treatments for it, either.

.

.

.

Click the link below for the article:

.

__________________________________________