Treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Authors: Lily Chu, Lucinda Bateman, Todd Davenport, Eleanor Stein, Staci Stevens
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2015)

Letters1 December 2015Treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue SyndromeLily Chu, MD, MSHS, Lucinda Bateman, MD, Todd Davenport, PT, DPT, OCS, Eleanor Stein, MD, and Staci Stevens, MALily Chu, MD, MSHSFrom Burlingame, California; Bateman Horne Center, Salt Lake City, Utah; Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, California; University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Workwell Foundation, Ripon, California.Search for more papers by this author, Lucinda Bateman, MDFrom Burlingame, California; Bateman Horne Center, Salt Lake City, Utah; Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, California; University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Workwell Foundation, Ripon, California.Search for more papers by this author, Todd Davenport, PT, DPT, OCSFrom Burlingame, California; Bateman Horne Center, Salt Lake City, Utah; Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, California; University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Workwell Foundation, Ripon, California.Search for more papers by this author, Eleanor Stein, MDFrom Burlingame, California; Bateman Horne Center, Salt Lake City, Utah; Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, California; University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Workwell Foundation, Ripon, California.Search for more papers by this author, and Staci Stevens, MAFrom Burlingame, California; Bateman Horne Center, Salt Lake City, Utah; Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, California; University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Workwell Foundation, Ripon, California.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L15-5174 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We concur with Smith and colleagues (1) that GET can harm some patients with ME/CFS. However, we believe that the benefits of this therapy would have been reduced and the assessment of harms even greater if the following points had been considered.First, the authors recognized that the nonspecific nature of the Oxford criteria might recruit participants “with other fatiguing illnesses or illnesses that resolve spontaneously” (1), yet they analyzed studies using these criteria together with those using the Fukuda criteria. This is similar to lumping persons who have congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and ...References1. Smith ME, Haney E, McDonagh M, Pappas M, Daeges M, Wasson N, et al. Treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: a systematic review for a National Institutes of Health Pathways to Prevention Workshop. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162:841-50. [PMID: 26075755]. doi:10.7326/M15-0114 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Darbishire L, Seed P, Ridsdale L. Predictors of outcome following treatment for chronic fatigue. Br J Psychiatry. 2005;186:350-1. [PMID: 15802694] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Kindlon T. Reporting of Harms Associated with Graded Exercise Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Chicago: International Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis; 2011. Accessed at http://iacfsme.org/PDFS/Reporting-of-Harms-Associated-with-GET-and-CBT-in.aspx on 8 July 2015. Google Scholar4. International Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Primer Writing Committee. ME/CFS: A Primer for Clinical Practitioners. Chicago: International Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis; 2014. Accessed at http://iacfsme.org/portals/0/pdf/Primer_Post_2014_conference.pdf on 8 July 2015. Google Scholar5. Institute of Medicine; Committee on the Diagnostic Criteria for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Redefining an Illness. Washington, DC: National Academies Pr; 2015. Accessed at http://iom.nationalacademies.org/Reports/2015/ME-CFS.aspx on 8 July 2015. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Burlingame, California; Bateman Horne Center, Salt Lake City, Utah; Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, California; University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Workwell Foundation, Ripon, California.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L15-0447. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoDiagnostic Methods for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Systematic Review for a National Institutes of Health Pathways to Prevention Workshop Elizabeth Haney , M.E. Beth Smith , Marian McDonagh , Miranda Pappas , Monica Daeges , Ngoc Wasson , and Heidi D. Nelson Treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Tom Kindlon and Charles Shepherd Treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome M.E. Beth Smith , Elizabeth Haney , and Heidi D. Nelson Treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Peter D. White , Daniel J. Clauw , Jos W.M. van der Meer , Rona Moss-Morris , and Renee R. Taylor Treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Maik Speedy Treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Alem Matthees Treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Sean B.M. Kirby Metrics 1 December 2015Volume 163, Issue 11Page: 887KeywordsDisclosureExerciseFatigueForecastingHeart failureMedical conditionsMotivationPatient advocacyPhysical functioningPneumonia ePublished: 1 December 2015 Issue Published: 1 December 2015 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2015 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...