Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalopathy (CFS/ME)
&
Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS)

Date: 01/14/2007

About 75% of patients fit the diagnosis for both Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS). Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is also known as Myalgic Encephalopathy and we will use the abbreviation CFS/ME to reflect the name interchange. The cause of CFS/ME and FMS is unknown their course is chronic and require long term management. Both disorders can be diagnosed by a physician only on the basis of symptoms reported by the patient and cannot be confirmed by a single laboratory tests or other objective measures. These disorders are heterogeneous, meaning that they can present differently in different people, and consequently, no one single approach is likely to help all with these conditions. The two disorders share most of the same symptoms and have similar treatments. The differences are primarily the following:

· Fatigue is the dominant symptom in CFS/ME. It is severe and not relieved by rest or sleep and not the result of excessive work or exercise. Of note, researchers at DePaul University have found that CFS patients experience different kinds of fatigue which can be expressed as "molasses fatigue, wired fatigue, brain fog fatigue, post-exertional fatigue and flu fatigue" compared to healthy individuals who experience only "flu fatigue" during an acute illness (Porter, N. IACFS 2007)

· Widespread pain with tender points is the primary symptom in Fibromyalgia. (Some patients with CFS exhibit similar tender pressure points. However, muscle pain is less prominent in patients with CFS.)

Although the clinical symptoms and treatment approach is similar in both of these conditions, there is some preliminary genetic evidence that the two disorders may be distinct, which offers the possibility for treatments that are specific to each (Garcia-Fructuoso FJ. IACFS 2007)