several cfs things
I receive emails from a list called Co-Cure (thanks, Robyn, for referring me to the site!, which has a focus on CFS, and about 1 in 20 emails has something that I actually understand. This afternoon, several things were interesting. Riddle of the quiet killer - smh.com.au - the facts presented in the extended portion of this entry were good standard facts that I wanted to keep for my records.
And then, I have been reading about the desired name change for CFS, which makes good sense to me. This snippet in particularly made me smile because I think that’s how people think of me at work!
and turns doctors away from treating patients and medical journals away from publishing. We have a serious disease. The purpose of changing the name is to change it for the better.
· First defined in 1988 by the US Centres for Disease Control, CFS is also sometimes called myalgic encephelomyelitis or ME (in Britain) and chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS) in the US.
· CFS may affect between one in 500 and one in 200 people, according to US and British estimates. A hundred thousand Australians may be affected.
· The most common age at onset is between 20 and 40. Women are thought to be affected more often than men.
· In contrast to the "yuppie flu" tag it attracted a decade ago, some research has found CFS is more common in lower socio-economic groups.
· Some people with CFS also have depression but many do not.
· Few patients who have CFS long-term ever fully recover, though half or more may improve.
· The cause is unknown but may include infection, immune reaction, hormone disturbance or a brain processing disorder.
