Many people may recall a much derided condition called ‘Yuppie Flu’, in the 1980’s, because it seemed to affect young, middle class professionals and had a stigma that led to sufferers being dismissed as malingerers who imagined their symptoms.
On-going research, however, has shown that the condition is a serious neurological condition, called Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) or commonly ME / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) affects anyone of any age, although about 70% are women. It is the leading cause of long-term school absence amongst children in the UK.
Symptoms include extreme physical and mental fatigue and painful limbs as well as cognitive problems. The condition can also affect memory, concentration and digestion, with 25% of patients housebound or bedbound and the rest struggling with everyday tasks. There is no known cure currently.
ME/CFS research, although poorly funded, strongly suggests that it is a physical condition triggered by a virus which causes both the immune system and the nervous system to malfunction. ME/CFS affects an estimated 16,000 people in Wales, 250,000 people in the UK, and 17 million worldwide. In the UK alone the economic cost is at least £3.3 billion.
