CDC study - A pilot registry of unexplained fatiguing illnesses and chronic fatigue syndrome

[Valentijn]

I have to wonder what disease they think they are enrolling in this patient registry. Dr. Unger has stated that they previously thought CFS would be simple and they were now moving away from this idea, but it looks to me like they continue to make the same mistake.

Autoimmune, inflammatory, infectious, and cardiovascular disease are actually leading hypotheses by the leading scientists in the field. Also sleep disorders, even apnea and narcolepsy, are expected. etc. Does CDC not read the literature?

Looks like they're trying to exclude ME patients. Basically everyone except those with simple fatigue?

 

[WillowJ]

Am I correct in understanding that these are people who were diagnoses with CFS, but were excluded from the study due to co-morbid conditions? If so I am surprised at the number with hypertension. I thought hypotension was more common.

sorry, it's a little confusing the way it ended up when I pasted it as text.

the fives above hypertension are the people from each referral group which had high CRP. (five from each group).

The hypertension data is:

Hypertension
1 –

one from the support group referral and none from the physician-referred group.

however I don't think hypertension is terribly unusual; it's not uncommon in the general population so it would be present to some extent in us in any case. And some kinds of dysautonomia can cause hypertension at least in spikes.

I don't think the people with exclusionary conditions would necessarily be all people who met the CFS criteria.

A total of 104 patients completed clinical evaluations, including 5 adolescents (Table 5). On
the basis of the 1994 case definition [5], 36% (n = 37) of patients had CFS, 17% (n = 18) ISF,
and 47% (n = 49) had an exclusionary medical or psychiatric diagnosis.

 

[MeSci]

I have to wonder what disease they think they are enrolling in this patient registry. Dr. Unger has stated that they previously thought CFS would be simple and they were now moving away from this idea, but it looks to me like they continue to make the same mistake.

Table 6...
Exclusion conditions at clinical evaluation
a
Exclusion condition
Support group referral
Provider referral
(n = 29)
(n = 20)
Active inflammation 1 1
Alcohol abuse...

Autoimmune, inflammatory, infectious, and cardiovascular disease are actually leading hypotheses by the leading scientists in the field. Also sleep disorders, even apnea and narcolepsy, are expected. etc. Does CDC not read the literature?

Quite. I also wonder what they define as alcohol abuse. I may drink slightly more than the (current) UK recommendations, but I certainly don't abuse alcohol. I treat it with love and tenderness and try very hard not to spill it.

 

[taniaaust1]

I have to wonder what disease they think they are enrolling in this patient registry. Dr. Unger has stated that they previously thought CFS would be simple and they were now moving away from this idea, but it looks to me like they continue to make the same mistake.



Autoimmune, inflammatory, infectious, and cardiovascular disease are actually leading hypotheses by the leading scientists in the field. Also sleep disorders, even apnea and narcolepsy, are expected. etc. Does CDC not read the literature?

One thing which really struck me is that they took out of the enrollment those who have restless leg syndrome too. I would of been taken out of this study 2-3 times over. There is also a ME/CFS subgroup in which the people get osteroarthritis (this ME group is also the ME group with extremely high chances of getting thyriod cancer on top of things).

 

[valentinelynx]

I have to wonder what disease they think they are enrolling in this patient registry. Dr. Unger has stated that they previously thought CFS would be simple and they were now moving away from this idea, but it looks to me like they continue to make the same mistake.



Autoimmune, inflammatory, infectious, and cardiovascular disease are actually leading hypotheses by the leading scientists in the field. Also sleep disorders, even apnea and narcolepsy, are expected. etc. Does CDC not read the literature?

I, too, was found to have high CRP, and no other diagnosis known. What makes the CDC think that ME & high CRP are mutually exclusive???

 

[Valentijn]

I, too, was found to have high CRP, and no other diagnosis known. What makes the CDC think that ME & high CRP are mutually exclusive???

I've got high CRP too, as of a month ago. No idea if it's been high as long I've been sick, because that's the first time it was tested. ESR has consistently been high since I got sick.