Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), is a complex long-term medical condition, which often stops those who have it from working or living normally. 

Overview

ME/CFS is not fully understood. Diagnosis is based on the person's symptoms, typically including pain due to the lack of an agreed diagnostic test. There is no agreed definition on ME/CFS, but it may affect as many as 1% of the population in some regions.

Possible causes
Medical experts have proposed several possible causes for the condition, including but not limited to:

 COVID-19
 Mononucleosis
 Post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome
 Changes in nervous and immune systems

Symptoms

The main symptoms are summarized in the following image.


Illness severity

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

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, but their mental health and emotional functioning are not much lower than those of healthy individuals. Functional impairment in ME/CFS can be greater than multiple sclerosis, heart disease, or lung cancer. Fewer than half of people with ME/CFS are employed, while one in five have a full-time job.

References

Category:Medicine
Category:Syndromes
Category:Diseases and disorders