Analysis: Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) has been routinely dismissed and misdiagnosed by medical professionals, and the similarities between it and long Covid could lead to a similar situation.

May is ME awareness month, an international initiative to raise awareness of a much misunderstood, and often maligned, illness.

ME, which stands for myalgic encephalomyelitis but is also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), is a chronic and complex multi-system biological condition that can affect all age groups but is much more common in women.

Symptoms include cognitive difficulties, pain, sleep disturbance, and orthostatic intolerance, while a defining feature is an unusual debilitating response to even mild exertion, known as ‘postexertional neuro-immune exhaustion’. Continue reading…