Star Advertiser: Is chronic fatigue syndrome real? [Dr Oz claiming that there is a test for ME/CFS]

[Andy]

Not that his answer is that bad but that test he references is from Columbia's paper of last year, so not replicated or even available to the general public.

QUESTION: My sister may have chronic fatigue syndrome, if that’s a real thing. She’s been complaining that she’s always tired, nervous and has trouble thinking clearly. She’s only 35.

Is there any way to find out what’s really going on?

— Rachel M., Buffalo, N.Y.

ANSWER: Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome is a very real condition. Researchers at Columbia University in New York City have put together a test that delivers a diagnosis that’s 84 percent accurate.

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/02/13/features/is-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-real/

 

[Kalliope]

The affliction usually affects folks age 40 to 60, most often women and Caucasians.
(my bold)

Is that true? As far as I know this has not been looked in to that much. I only know of Leonard Jason et als "The prevalence of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Nigeria" (2007) which showed the prevalence was somewhat higher in Nigeria compared with rates from CFS epidemiological studies in USA. Not enough to conclude anything but there are no grounds to state that caucasians are more affected in general, are there?

There seems to be more patients diagnosed with ME in Norway than in the neighbour country Sweden. One of the reasons might be more awareness about ME among health care workers and patients (much thanks to the Norwegian ME Association's over 30 year long existence), but there's no reason to believe the prevalence is any lower in Sweden.

There are too many unknown factors for such conclusions from Star Advertiser.

 

[rvallee]

The affliction usually affects folks age 40 to 60, most often women and Caucasians.
(my bold)

Is that true?

Old myths die hard. This was basically the original myth: bored upper middle-class housewife affliction. Confirmation bias at its best.

 

[Webdog]

The affliction usually affects folks age 40 to 60, most often women and Caucasians.
(my bold)

Is that true?

He could be just quoting the CDC and misquoting the NAM report.

Anyone can get ME/CFS. While most common in people between 40 and 60 years old, the illness affects children, adolescents, and adults of all ages.

https://www.cdc.gov/me-cfs/about/index.html

It affects more women than men, and although many seeking care for ME/CFS are Caucasian, the illness may be more common in minority groups.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK284897/

 

[inox]

Ad. caucasian women having higher risk - Jason et al found contrary data. From the paper "CFS: A Review of Epidemiology and Natural History Studies"

Chicago Community-Based Study


Epidemiology
In a larger study conducted from 1995 to 1998, Jason and colleagues (10) screened a random sample of 18,675 individuals for CFS symptomatology. Approximately .42% (420 per 100,000) of the sample was determined to have CFS, with rates being higher among Latino and African American respondents compared to White respondents (10). The results of this epidemiological study suggested that this illness may affect approximately 800,000 people in the United States. Women, Latinos, middle-aged individuals, and persons of middle to lower socioeconomic status were found to be at higher risk for this illness. The findings directly contradicted the perception that middle to upper-class Caucasian women were most at risk for this illness. Moreover, about 90% of people identified as having CFS in this sample had not been previously diagnosed by a physician prior to participation in the study. This finding highlights the limitations of prior CFS epidemiological studies based solely on samples recruited from hospitals or primary care providers. Below we provide some of the findings that have emerged from this sample.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3021257/

 

[Forbin]

Below is Columbia's July 2018 write up on how the combined results of microbiome and metabolite testing identified ME/CFS patients 84% of the time. As @Andy said, it needs to be replicated, and it's not a clinical test but something that I imagine can only be found in research settings. Still, if you could be confident that 84% of the subjects in your study actually had the same condition, that would probably be a huge step forward for ME/CFS research.

https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/pu...s-get-us-closer-test-chronic-fatigue-syndrome

CHRONIC DISEASE
Jul. 09 2018
Insights from Metabolites Get Us Closer to a Test for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
CENTER FOR INFECTION AND IMMUNITY RESEARCHERS COMBINED DATA FROM THE METABOLOME AND MICROBIOME TO PREDICT WHO HAD DISEASE WITH 84-PERCENT CERTAINTY

A study led by researchers at the Center for Infection and Immunity (CII) at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health has identified a constellation of metabolites related to myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Combining this data with data from an earlier microbiome study, the researchers now report they can predict whether or not someone has the disorder with a confidence of 84 percent.

https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/pu...s-get-us-closer-test-chronic-fatigue-syndrome

 

[Snow Leopard]

The affliction usually affects folks age 40 to 60, most often women and Caucasians.
(my bold)

Is that true?

I'd say no it is not.

It is hard to say, but population based studies have found similar (often higher, but that could be due to methodological difference) prevalence in South American and Asian populations, as well as in non-white populations in the USA and UK.