M.E. is a long-term illness that affects the body in many different ways. The symptoms can change from one day to the next, but the most common are exhaustion and muscle pain as well as concentration and memory problems.
The name 'M.E'. stands for myalgic encephalomyelitis. 'Myalgic' refers to muscle pain and 'encephalomyelitis' refers to inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. Many scientists and doctors do not consider that this is a very scientific or useful name. This is because there is no scientific evidence that there is inflammation in the brain and spinal cord and because not everyone who has M.E. gets muscle pain.
Doctors and other medics usually prefer to use the term CFS - short for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. A lot of people think the name CFS doesn't explain how seriously people are affected and doesn't sound like a real illness. It also focuses on only one of the symptoms that people with M.E./CFS get - fatigue (tiredness). Sometimes people are diagnosed as having Post Viral Fatigue syndrome or PVFS.
Who gets it?
Anyone can get M.E. - men, women and children from all backgrounds. The government estimates that there are up to 240,000 people with M.E. in the UK of which around 25,000 are children and young people. This means one in 250 people have M.E. So if you have M.E. remember that you are not alone! The illness seems to be more common in young people aged between 13 and 15 but children as young as five can be affected. Doctors and scientists think that M.E. in young people is often more severe at first but that they generally make a better recovery than adults.
This site is designed to help you learn about M.E. and read how others have coped with it.
Information produced July 2003
Updated June 2004
