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This page contains links to basic information to help you get the key facts quickly.
Some points about the names
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS, CFIDS, ME)
Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS or FM)
CFS/FM and related conditions
In Australia, the terms "CFS", "CFIDS" and "ME" are usually used interchangeably. In Britain and increasingly in the USA, advocacy groups are seeking to make a distinction between "CFS" and "ME". I haven't made up my mind about this yet - it is quite a complex issue. It certainly seems that CFS is not just one illness with a single cause.
For a discussion of problems with the current official Centers for Disease Control (Fukuda et al) definition see U.S. Case Definition of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Diagnostic and Theoretical Issues, as published in the Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in 1999.
Fibromyalgia Syndrome is very similar to CFS,CFIDS,ME - so similar in fact, that many authorities believe they overlap, or are the same. Some writers use the term "CFS" to include "FMS". See my article FMS and CFS - what is the Connection?.
With so much confusion, it is hardly surprising that people have been agitating for a name change for some time. A favorite candidate already in use by some organisations, Myalgic Encephalopathy, would retain the initials "M.E." and cover both CFS and fibromyalgia. See Roger Burns' summary Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Changing the Name.
Based on the research, the Name Change Workgroup recommended Chronic Neuroendocrineimmune Dysfunction Syndrome, or CNDS, as an umbrella term (2001). Another term suggested by recent scientific discoveries is RNaseL Enzyme Dysfunction Syndrome - REDD.
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ME/CFS Guidelines for your GP (2004). A 16-page document produced by the ME/CFS Society of South Australia Inc., the SA Government's Department of Human Services, the Adelaide Westem Division of General Practice and the University of Adelaide Department of General Practice.
ME/CFS Fact Sheet - from the ME/CFS Society of South Australia
CFS - What is it? by an Australian specialist, Dr Don Lewis.
CFS info from Young Adult Health, Government of South Australia.
CFS Information Sheet - 1996 from the ME/CFS Society of Victoria.
The CFS FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions about CFS (1997) by Roger Burns, whose website also contains the Doctors CFS Page - information for medical professionals.
CFIDS Fact Sheet , Do I have CFIDS? (quiz) and more useful resources from the CFIDS Association of America.
What is ME/CFS? - by Dr Byron Hyde, from the Nightingale Research Foundation
The CFS/ME Fact Sheet - from Mary Schweitzer's CFIDS-M.E. Information Page.
CFS - onset, signs and symptoms, disease process & etc; from the Shasta CFIDS support group.
The CDC's CFS pages - official USA Government information, including the "Fukuda" revised case definition.
What is ME? A Political and Medical Overview - "All the medical and political facts on ME/ICD-CFS in one place, including substantial research findings and references, a must-read for anyone who has an interest in the illness; it's much more than just the usual regurgitation of the 'facts' according to the CDC that you unfortunately see on most sites." - by Jodi.
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Fibromyalgia Syndrome Fact Sheet by the Arthritis Foundation of South Australia.
Fibromyalgia fact sheet from the Victorian government's Better Health Channel.
The American College of Rheumatology's 1990 criteria for the classification of Fibromyalgia
FIBROMYALGIA BASICS - Symptoms, Treatments and Research - from the Fibromyalgia Network website.
How to diagnose Fibromyalgia from About.com.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About FIBROMYALGIA but were Afraid to Ask.... - "Pain is inevitable; Misery is optional" - from Canada, by Jim Roache.
Fibromyalgia Syndrome - from the Shasta CFIDS support group.
Fibromyalgia 101 - an introductory article by Miryam Williamson, author of Fibromyalgia: a Comprehensive Approach. (You can read an extract from this book here on my website.)
Fibromyalgia Syndrome and A Guide for Relatives and Companions by Dr Devin Starlanyl.
FMS MONOGRAPH - An Overview of the Fundamental Features of Fibromyalgia Syndrome, from the National Fibromyalgia Partnership, Inc (formerly the Fibromyalgia Association of Greater Washington).
Fibromyalgia Syndrome Diagnostic Criteria (including The American College of Rheumatology 1990 Criteria for the Classification of Fibromyalgia, and a Tender Points map) - from the National Fibromyalgia Research Association. [This site also contains an older version of Dr Robert Bennett's "Informational Guide For FMS Patients, Their Families, Friends and Employers". For the later version see the next link. This is important as Dr Bennett has changed his opinion about the value of opioid pain medications for FMS, and no longer recommends they be avoided.]
List of Fibromyalgia symptoms, including the optional bizarre ones, from the CFS Days website.
Reuters Health on Fibromyalgia - symptoms, treatment and so forth.
Wikipedia on Fibromyalgia - a pretty good account.
Dr Robert Bennett on Chronic Widespread Pain and the Fibromyalgia Construct - comprehensive.
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CFS/FM FAQ up to date info from Marilyn J Kerr's comprehensive site.
Do You Suffer from Persistent Pain? Aching? Fatigue? - pamphlet from the Chronic Syndrome Support Association linking the conditions under the heading of CIND (Chronic Immunological and Neurological Diseases)
The R.E.D.D Information Centre - "One answer to the mysterious disease syndrome known as CFS, CFIDS, ME may be in a newly discovered condition called R.E.D.D., or Rnase-L Enzyme Dysfunction Disease" - Mary Schweitzer
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last revised 23 May 2006