This isn't necessarily the same as confusing the condition of ME with simply having "chronic fatigue" and certainly doesn't seem to be so in these papers on inflammation. Quite a few researchers have been trying to identify mechanisms that might be driving some of our key symptoms and looking at whether there might be commonalities with other diseases in which severe, persistent, disabling fatigue are symptoms. Prof Julia Newton has been doing some of this in looking at PBC (primary biliary cirrhosis) and ME:
http://phoenixrising.me/archives/17009
In this interview, she says (my bolding):
“I firmly believe that studies like this have a direct implication for patients with other fatigue associated diseases. We have previously shown, using data from questionnaires, that the experience of fatigue in one fatigue-associated disease is the same as that in another, i.e., the fatigue experienced by patients with ME/CFS is similar to that in character to PBC, which is similar to that in Sjogren’s syndrome, etc. The severity may change and the relative contribution of various biological factors but overall the perception and the symptom itself is the same. This means that if the experience of fatigue is the same in different diseases then the underlying mechanisms may well be the same, which highlights the fact that by performing studies in one fatigue associated disease we could potentially understand more about fatigue overall, which can then be applied to other diseases.”
This is important. If we can relate immune activity to one of our key symptoms, that's a crucial piece of the biomedical picture.
I think that Sonia tweeted:
"We need to deconstruct fatigue" prof Robert Dantzer
I see that as a comment that we need to understand more about what we mean by fatigue and how it might change with different diseases.
If I were to de-generalise Prof Newton's statement and quote specifics she says that fatigue associated with ME/CFS is similar to that in PBC and that fatigue associated with Sjogeren's is similar to PBC. Iff fatigue is associative then ME fatigue is similar to Sjogren's.
But I think there are two different questions
1) Is fatigue a single concept or is it a grouping of different things that could have different mechanisms (even if triggered by the same thing). I wonder are mental and physical fatigue different.
2) Is fatigue the same in all things or just a selection. I think Prof Newton was looking at Rituximab for treating PBC. So there could be common mechanisms.
My guess is that in the questionnaire they use they are profiling different elements of fatigue.
From a sample of 1 (not very scientific I know) a friend who had ME symptoms (never formally diagnosed) and then cancer had different fatigue. After the cancer treatment things like the pain associated with ME went as did the PEM which I think of as part of fatigue.
Last edited: