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New Retrovirus Is Associated with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

CFS and retrovirus

cindy heibel, JMCE, 22 Oct 2009 10:24 PM EST

Competing interests: None declared

Great information. Has there been any specualtion into what agents may ameliorate these retroviruses, or any proposed treatments that may relieve CFS?

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CFS

Michael Harris, Retired F.R.C.G.P., A.F.O.M., 23 Oct 2009 2:46 AM EST

Competing interests: None declared

We were all shocked when duodenal ulcers were said to be caused by an infective agent, H. Pylori, but it was true.

Let us be circumspect and investigate this further.

I have seen hundreds of cases of CFS and there is a similarity about all of them. More research is necessary.

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CFS

Dr Mervyn Henry Garrett, 23 Oct 2009 5:09 PM EST

Competing interests: None declared

IV Vitamin C in doses of 15-30G+ is an effective virucidal agent and I have used it in CFS with some effect. Mostly I have used it in common viral illnesses where it is necessary the patient get well quickly eg wedding and herpes labialis, URTI, glandular fever etc. One recently reported case in NZ of moribund patient from swine flu and on life support was quickly restored to health after relations insisted on this therapy.

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Etiology of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Prof. Suraj Gupte, Professor & Head, Postgraduate Department of Pediatrics, NMC,Nellore, S. India, 7 Nov 2009 11:35 AM EST

Competing interests: None declared

Over the past two decades or rather more, we have studied various aspects of CFS with special reference to its etiology. Whereas there is no fool-proof evidencce for infective etiology, there is ample support favouring psychosomatic etiology. Almost always, we have noticed reversal of the manifestation following good reassurance and psychotherapy. Admittedly, it is important to provide requisite nutritional support, including micronutrients, during course of management.

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ME/CFS

J Wiley, 30 Aug 2010 5:13 PM EST

Competing interests: None declared

Dr. Komaroff is exactly correct about the etiology of the neuro- immune disease of ME, which was unfortunately assigned the name of CFS by the CDC.

Prof. Gupte appears to be talking about Oxford/"Empirical" inclusion criteria for "CFS," which is name that describes the presence of a symptom, but does not represent any particular clinical entity, although patients with Major Depressive Disorders appear to comprise a large portion of the patients represented in these rubrics. Unfortunately, patients with the rare disease of ME and with persistent fatigue from unknown causes are lumped in with the patients with the comparatively prevalent disease of MDD under these case definitions.

Jason LA, Evans M, Porter N, et al. "The Development of a Revised Canadian Myalgic Encephalomyelitis-Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Case Definition," American Journal of Biochemistry and Biotechnology 6 (2): 120 -135, 2010 http://www.scipub.org/fulltext/ajbb/ajbb62120-135.pdf

Merz S. [Chronic fatigue syndrome. More and more differential diagnoses suggest a new view of this syndrome]. Lakartidningen. 2002 Aug 22;99(34):3282-7

Jason LA, Najar N, Porter N, Reh C. "Evaluating the Centers for Disease Control's Empirical Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Case Definition". Journal of Disability Policy Studies. September 2009 vol. 20 no. 2 93-100.

Fletcher MA, Zeng XR, Maher K, et al. "Biomarkers in chronic fatigue syndrome: evaluation of natural killer cell function and dipeptidyl peptidase IV/CD26." PLoS One. 2010 May 25;5(5):e10817.

Lorusso L, Mikhaylova SV, Capelli E, Ferrari D, Ngonga GK, Ricevuti G. "Immunological aspects of chronic fatigue syndrome." Autoimmune Rev. 2009 Feb;8(4):287-91.

Jammes Y, Steinberg JG, et al. "Chronic fatigue syndrome combines increased exercise-induced oxidative stress and reduced cytokine and Hsp responses," J Intern Med. 2009 Aug;266(2):196-206.

Peckerman A, LaManca JJ, Dahl KA, Chemitiganti R, Qureishi B, Natelson BH. "Abnormal impedance cardiography predicts symptom severity in chronic fatigue syndrome." Am J Med Sci. 2003 Aug;326(2):55-60.

Light AR, et al, "Moderate Exercise Increases Expression for Sensory, Adrenergic, and Immune Genes in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients But Not in Normal Subjects," J Pain, 2009 Jul 30.

Whistler T, Jones JF, Unger ER, Vernon SD. "Exercise responsive genes measured in peripheral blood of women with chronic fatigue syndrome and matched control subjects," BMC Physiol. 2005 Mar 24;5(1):5.

Sorensen B, et al. "Transcriptional control of complement activation in an exercise model of chronic fatigue syndrome." Mol Med. 2009 Jan- Feb;15(1-2):34-42.

Eleanor Stein, MD, FRCP(C), "Assessment and Treatment of Patients with ME/CFS: Clinical Guidelines for Psychiatrists." http://cfids- cab.org/MESA/Stein.pdf

Jason L, Benton M, Torres-Harding S, Muldowney K. "The impact of energy modulation on physical functioning and fatigue severity among patients with ME/CFS." Patient Educ Couns. 2009 Nov;77(2):237-41. Epub 2009 Apr 8. PMID: 19356884

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ME/CFS

J Wiley, 1 Sep 2010 2:24 AM EST

Competing interests: None declared

Correction: it is correct that objective physiological abnormalities have been found and confirmed through replication studies in ME/CFS.

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