Real cause of ME discovered—and, no, it’s not all in your mind Leave a comment

Article from What Doctors Don’t Tell You

By Bryan Hubbard

Some doctors still quietly believe that chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME, is more in the mind of the sufferer—but new research has finally put paid to the theory. Instead, it’s triggered by an overactive immune system, a discovery that fits with the stories of ME patients who noticed their symptoms started after an infection.

Researchers from King’s College London studied 55 patients with hepatitis C who had been given the drug interferon-alpha that causes a similar response to a virus; 18 went on to develop ME-like symptoms, and they were also the ones who had the strongest reaction to the drug. They also had an overactive immune system before treatment started.

People who already have an overactive immune response are more likely to develop ME when they pick up a virus or other infection, the researchers say.

References

(Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2018; doi: org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.11.032)