BMJ 1995;311:329 (29 July)

Letters

Patients with a self diagnosis of myalgic encephalomyelitis

EDITOR,--Myalgic encephalomyelitis is most commonly related to an underlying psychological or psychiatric disturbance.1 2 Shonagh Scott and colleagues report that when general practitioners deal with symptoms consistent with those of myalgic encephalomyelitis their attitude is likely to be influenced by the patient's perception, expectations, and social class.3 It is not uncommon for patients to diagnose myalgic encephalomyelitis themselves before they seek a consultation; this can lead to disruption of the doctor-patient relationship, unsatisfactory consultations, and possibly failure to diagnose any underlying pathological process. We report on a patient with a self diagnosis of myalgic encephalomyelitis in whom hypopituitarism was diagnosed only after a protracted period.

A 65 year old man presented with a four year history of tiredness, lethargy, and loss of weight of 13 kg. He had attributed his symptoms to myalgic encephalomyelitis, and, although he was referred for a medical opinion, he defaulted, preferring to attend a popular herbalist. . . . [Full text of this article]


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Patients with a self diagnosis of myalgic encephalomyelitis
Charles Shepherd
BMJ 1995 311: 1021. [Extract] [Full Text]

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Finn, A. J., Flynn, M. K., White, W. L. (2008). Cutaneous Complication of Chronic Fatigue: An Answer From the Horse's Mouth. Arch Dermatol 144: 1238-1240 [Full text]  
  • Shepherd, C. (1995). Patients with a self diagnosis of myalgic encephalomyelitis. BMJ 311: 1021-1021 [Full text]  
Access jobs at BMJ Careers
Whats new online at Student BMJ