M.E. is a long-term illness. It affects people in different ways. The symptoms can change from day to day. The most common are always being tired and worn out, your body hurts, you find it hard to keep your mind on things and you forget easily.
M.E. stands for myalgic (my-al-jick) encephalomyelitis (n-seffalow-my-lie-itis)
Myalgic refers to the pain felt in the muscles.
Encephalomyelitis refers to the brain and spine being inflamed.
Many scientists and doctors do not agree that this is a very good name. They think it doesn't describe the illness very well.
Most doctors and other medics prefer to use the term CFS - short for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Chronic means all the time, Fatigue means you are tired and Syndrome means 'illness'. A lot of people think the name CFS is not right either, as the illness is so much more than being tired. Sometimes doctors use the term Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome or PVFS.
Who gets it?
Anyone can.
Up to 240,000 people live with M.E. in the UK and around 25,000 are children and teenagers. That means that 1 in 250 people have M.E., so if you have it, remember you are not alone!
The illness seems to be more common in teenagers aged 13-15, but children as young as five can become ill with it. Doctors and scientists find that M.E. in young people is often really bad to start with, but in the end they seem to make a better recovery than the grown-ups!
This site is to help you learn about M.E. and read how others have coped with it.
Information produced July 2003
Updated June 2004
