Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome are being ignored

doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7479.1405-c

BMJ 2004;329:1405 (11 December), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7479.1405-c

Letter

Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome are being ignored

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Earlier this year more than 28 000 people signeda petition calling for urgent government funded research intothe physical causes of myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronicfatigue syndrome. Such is the frustration of people who do notbelieve that their views are being listened to by the medicalestablishment.

So White's editorial reviewing the possible causes of myalgicencephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome should be welcomenews.¹ But is it?

Many doctors support the idea of a disease model with predisposing,precipitating, and perpetuating factors. However, White doesnot offer any innovative suggestions as to how this could beused to better understand an illness that now covers a widevariety of clinical presentations and an equally diverse rangeof patho-physiological findings. Having created this mess, themedical profession must now accept that this heterogeneous groupof patients is unlikely to have the same pathoaetiology andrespond to . . . [Full text of this article]

Charles Shepherd, medical adviser

ME Association, Buckingham MK18 1TH charlesbshepherd@lineone.net

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