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The release of the government's ME/CFS delivery plan is imminent, but the lack of a strategic call for these complex, chronic conditions has left patients frustrated and demanding action.

Girl lying on the bed with eyes and headphones and her mum covering her with a blanket

Recently published in Frontiers in Neuroscience; experts including Tiffany Lodge and Karl Morten shed light on the links between Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), Gulf War Syndrome (GWS), and Fibromyalgia (FM). These three chronic conditions share similar symptoms and currently lack reliable diagnostic tests. A key factor in these conditions appears to be oxidative stress, which can disrupt muscle energy production and lead to fatigue.

Studies have shown that patients with ME/CFS present with signs of energy production failure associated with muscle weakness, impaired cognition with evidence of increased oxidative stress liked to upregulation of antioxidant pathways.

Scientists are now using advanced research techniques like metabolic profiling and MRI to understand better why these elevated levels may lead to new treatment options for ME/CFS, GWS, and FM.

 

 

Read the full story on the Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health website.