* There is no medical test available to confirm a diagnosis of M.E. Doctors can diagnose the illness by taking a careful medical history and carrying out tests to rule out other possible conditions.
It is likely that you will have to see your doctor several times before a diagnosis of M.E. is confirmed. Your doctor should be able to give you a provisional or working diagnosis quite early on and by six months this diagnosis should be confirmed or ruled out.
It's usual for your GP to make the diagnosis but sometimes it may be necessary for them to refer you on to a specialist to assist in the diagnostic process.
* The cause or causes of M.E. are not fully understood. It often develops after a virus, like flu or glandular fever, but it can also happen gradually for no obvious reason. People with M.E. have been found to have abnormalities in the nervous system, including part of the brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus regulates sleep, temperature control and appetite. Abnormalities have also been found in the immune system. More research is needed before these abnormalities and their impact are properly understood.
*It is thought that women are more prone to developing M.E. Some studies have suggested that genetics may have a role to play as the illness may be more common in certain families.
* Around two-thirds of cases of M.E. are triggered by an obvious viral infection, including glandular fever, viral meningitis, viral hepatitis, and less commonly infection with bacteria, or other organisms.
Many of the infections triggering M.E. seem to be ordinary flu-like infections, from which some people don't recover in the normal way.
* Other factors may include vaccinations or toxins in the environment. These are very occasionally identified as possible triggers for the illness.
* Physical injury or trauma such as an accident or operation very occasionally appear to trigger M.E.
Factors that can hold back recovery include doing too much or being too active or lurching between over and under activity; sleep problems, which are very common with M.E. reduce energy levels even further; mood disorders such as depression and anxiety reduce a person's ability to cope with the illness; whilst rest is very important, doing too little or being inactive may be detrimental.
Prolonged inactivity can cause muscle wasting and weakness.
*Symptoms can vary but may include overwhelming and persistent fatigue, felling generally unwell, pain, sleep difficulties, problems with thinking, problems with the digestive system, problems with the nervous system, and increased sensitivity.
* There isn't a magic bullet that can cure M.E. but there are a number of approaches that can help. Medical opinion differs on treatments for M.E.
* People do get better from M.E. In may cases 'better' may not be the same state of health before becoming unwell. The illness will have had an impact on your life which changes you and your circumstances.
Sometimes the impact can be huge. Very little research has taken place into people with M.E. over a long period of time so no one really knows the typical course of this illness and what recovery actually means.
