Latest news with #CFS
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Health
- Scotsman
What is ME and the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome explained
ME can cause debilitating symptoms 🏥 Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... An estimated 390,000 people living in the UK have ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. A new plan for care reforms have been announced by the government. ME can cause debilitating symptoms. A new plan for care reforms for ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) has been revealed by the government. ME affects an estimated 390,000 people living in the UK, it can cause debilitating symptoms including fatigue, sleep problems and difficulties with thinking, concentration and memory. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The impact varies between cases, but severe ME/CFS, which is thought to affect a quarter of those diagnosed, leaves patients unable to leave their home or work. Many of those living with ME/CFS currently struggle to access appropriate care. An estimated 390,000 people living in the UK have ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. | Pexels, Tima Miroshnichenko The plan will introduce new training for NHS healthcare professionals, featuring up-to-date learning resources to increase understanding to ensure signs are not missed. It will help combat the stigma faced by people living with ME/CFS, which stems from a lack of awareness about the condition, as well as increase funding for research, awarded through the National Institute for Health and Care Research and will address the specific needs of children and young people, ensuring they receive appropriate support in education settings. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Ashley Dalton, said: 'ME/CFS is a debilitating illness that can severely limit patients' ability to participate in everyday activities, maintain employment, or enjoy family and social life. 'Today's plan will help tackle the stigma and lack of awareness of this condition through improved training for NHS staff. And through our neighbourhood health services, we will ensure patients suffering from the effects of ME/CFS can access quality care, closer to home, as pledged in our 10 Year Health Plan.' Sonya Chowdhury, Chief Executive, Action for ME, said: 'This is an important step for the ME community, long overlooked and under-served. The plan must not be a token gesture - it requires a sustained, strategic commitment to care, funding, and research. Without it, meaningful outcomes for people with ME will not be achieved.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What is ME/CFS? Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), is a long-term condition that can cause debilitating symptoms that affect different parts of the body. It is characterised by extreme tiredness, debilitating pain and additional symptoms related to post-exertional malaise. What are the symptoms of ME? The NHS explain that symptoms of ME can include extreme tiredness, problems sleeping, problems with memory or concentration, post-exertional malaise. Other symptoms can include: muscle or joint pain headaches a sore throat or sore glands that are not swollen flu-like symptoms feeling dizzy or sick fast or irregular heartbeats (heart palpitations) muscle twitches or spasms intolerance to alcohol or certain foods or chemicals being very sensitive to light, sound, touch, taste and smell having hot flushes or cold chills if the temperature changes feeling dizzy, sick or fainting when standing up from a sitting or lying position There is no specific test for ME and not everyone will experience the same symptoms. It is defined as mild, moderate, severe and very severe and can have a significant impact on a person's day to day life.
Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Health
- Scotsman
What is ME and the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome explained
ME can cause debilitating symptoms 🏥 Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... An estimated 390,000 people living in the UK have ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. A new plan for care reforms have been announced by the government. ME can cause debilitating symptoms. A new plan for care reforms for ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) has been revealed by the government. ME affects an estimated 390,000 people living in the UK, it can cause debilitating symptoms including fatigue, sleep problems and difficulties with thinking, concentration and memory. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The impact varies between cases, but severe ME/CFS, which is thought to affect a quarter of those diagnosed, leaves patients unable to leave their home or work. Many of those living with ME/CFS currently struggle to access appropriate care. An estimated 390,000 people living in the UK have ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. | Pexels, Tima Miroshnichenko The plan will introduce new training for NHS healthcare professionals, featuring up-to-date learning resources to increase understanding to ensure signs are not missed. It will help combat the stigma faced by people living with ME/CFS, which stems from a lack of awareness about the condition, as well as increase funding for research, awarded through the National Institute for Health and Care Research and will address the specific needs of children and young people, ensuring they receive appropriate support in education settings. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Ashley Dalton, said: 'ME/CFS is a debilitating illness that can severely limit patients' ability to participate in everyday activities, maintain employment, or enjoy family and social life. 'Today's plan will help tackle the stigma and lack of awareness of this condition through improved training for NHS staff. And through our neighbourhood health services, we will ensure patients suffering from the effects of ME/CFS can access quality care, closer to home, as pledged in our 10 Year Health Plan.' Sonya Chowdhury, Chief Executive, Action for ME, said: 'This is an important step for the ME community, long overlooked and under-served. The plan must not be a token gesture - it requires a sustained, strategic commitment to care, funding, and research. Without it, meaningful outcomes for people with ME will not be achieved.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What is ME/CFS? Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), is a long-term condition that can cause debilitating symptoms that affect different parts of the body. It is characterised by extreme tiredness, debilitating pain and additional symptoms related to post-exertional malaise. What are the symptoms of ME? The NHS explain that symptoms of ME can include extreme tiredness, problems sleeping, problems with memory or concentration, post-exertional malaise. Other symptoms can include: muscle or joint pain headaches a sore throat or sore glands that are not swollen flu-like symptoms feeling dizzy or sick fast or irregular heartbeats (heart palpitations) muscle twitches or spasms intolerance to alcohol or certain foods or chemicals being very sensitive to light, sound, touch, taste and smell having hot flushes or cold chills if the temperature changes feeling dizzy, sick or fainting when standing up from a sitting or lying position There is no specific test for ME and not everyone will experience the same symptoms. It is defined as mild, moderate, severe and very severe and can have a significant impact on a person's day to day life.
The Independent
10 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Woman's death exposes need for ME care reforms
The UK government has pledged to overhaul care for individuals with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), acknowledging that many currently struggle to access appropriate support. This commitment follows the death of 27-year-old Maeve Boothby-O'Neill, who died from severe malnutrition due to ME, prompting a coroner to highlight systemic issues. The inquest into Miss Boothby-O'Neill's death revealed a critical lack of specialist beds, 'extremely limited' training for doctors, and insufficient funding for ME/CFS research and treatment. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is set to publish a new plan outlining steps to improve patient care, including new training for NHS staff and investment in research. While public health minister Ashley Dalton welcomed the plan, the charity Action for ME criticised it for not going 'far enough,' advocating for a dedicated, funded research hub to find treatments and cures.
South Wales Guardian
13 hours ago
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
Government pledges to ‘transform care' for people with ME
The Department of Health and Social Care said it is 'committed to changing attitudes and transforming care' for people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) as it prepared to publish a new plan to improve care for people with the condition. It comes after the high-profile death of a young woman from the disease. Maeve Boothby-O'Neill, 27, suffered with ME for a decade before she died at home in Exeter in October 2021 from severe malnutrition. Her inquest heard how she had been admitted to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital three times that year for treatment for malnutrition. The 10-day hearing focused on the final few months of her life, by which time she was confined to bed, unable to chew food and had difficulty drinking because she was not able to sit up. Miss Boothby-O'Neill, the daughter of Sean O'Neill, a journalist with The Times newspaper, had been suffering from fatigue since the age of 13, which got worse after she completed her A-levels. Deborah Archer, now an area coroner for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, concluded Miss Boothby-O'Neill had died from natural causes 'because of severe myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)'. Last year she wrote to the Government to highlight a lack of specialist beds, 'extremely limited' training for doctors and lack of available funding for research and treatment of the condition. On Tuesday, the Government said that it has created a plan which 'outlines clear steps to improve care for patients, by investing in research and offering access to care in the community'. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) acknowledged that many people with the condition 'currently struggle to access appropriate care tailored to their complex condition'. The plan, which is expected to be published on Tuesday, will include new training for NHS workers, DHSC said. And the document will also include funding for research, the DHSC said. Public health minister Ashley Dalton, said: 'ME/CFS is a debilitating illness that can severely limit patients' ability to participate in everyday activities, maintain employment, or enjoy family and social life. 'Today's plan will help tackle the stigma and lack of awareness of this condition through improved training for NHS staff. 'And through our neighbourhood health services, we will ensure patients suffering from the effects of ME/CFS can access quality care, closer to home, as pledged in our 10-Year Health Plan. But Action for ME said that the plan 'does not go far enough'. Sonya Chowdhury, chief executive of the charity, said: 'We appreciate the time DHSC has put into the delivery plan and their engagement with us and the ME community throughout. 'However, the plan simply does not go far enough. We are at the stage now where we need more than rhetoric, we need to take a strategic approach if we want a different outcome. What is proposed in the plan will not offer this. 'We must have a funded, dedicated research hub to leverage our world-leading life sciences sector to unlock treatments and ultimately cures for ME. 'Without a commitment to better co-ordinate research, people with ME will continue to be neglected, overlooked and, for many, confined to their homes. 'ME charities have been calling for this funding to be accelerated for years and we are still not seeing a strategic approach to address this historic shortfall. Once again, it feels like people with ME have been ignored.' Dr Charles Shepherd, honorary medical advisor and trustee at the ME Association, said: 'Whilst today's announcement is an important step forward in helping to improve the quality of life of people with ME/CFS, the Government must now go much further to improve their medical care and management and help to fund much needed biomedical research into cause and treatment.'
North Wales Chronicle
17 hours ago
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
Government pledges to ‘transform care' for people with ME
The Department of Health and Social Care said it is 'committed to changing attitudes and transforming care' for people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) as it prepared to publish a new plan to improve care for people with the condition. It comes after the high-profile death of a young woman from the disease. Maeve Boothby-O'Neill, 27, suffered with ME for a decade before she died at home in Exeter in October 2021 from severe malnutrition. Her inquest heard how she had been admitted to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital three times that year for treatment for malnutrition. The 10-day hearing focused on the final few months of her life, by which time she was confined to bed, unable to chew food and had difficulty drinking because she was not able to sit up. Miss Boothby-O'Neill, the daughter of Sean O'Neill, a journalist with The Times newspaper, had been suffering from fatigue since the age of 13, which got worse after she completed her A-levels. Deborah Archer, now an area coroner for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, concluded Miss Boothby-O'Neill had died from natural causes 'because of severe myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)'. Last year she wrote to the Government to highlight a lack of specialist beds, 'extremely limited' training for doctors and lack of available funding for research and treatment of the condition. On Tuesday, the Government said that it has created a plan which 'outlines clear steps to improve care for patients, by investing in research and offering access to care in the community'. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) acknowledged that many people with the condition 'currently struggle to access appropriate care tailored to their complex condition'. The plan, which is expected to be published on Tuesday, will include new training for NHS workers, DHSC said. And the document will also include funding for research, the DHSC said. Public health minister Ashley Dalton, said: 'ME/CFS is a debilitating illness that can severely limit patients' ability to participate in everyday activities, maintain employment, or enjoy family and social life. 'Today's plan will help tackle the stigma and lack of awareness of this condition through improved training for NHS staff. 'And through our neighbourhood health services, we will ensure patients suffering from the effects of ME/CFS can access quality care, closer to home, as pledged in our 10-Year Health Plan. But Action for ME said that the plan 'does not go far enough'. Sonya Chowdhury, chief executive of the charity, said: 'We appreciate the time DHSC has put into the delivery plan and their engagement with us and the ME community throughout. 'However, the plan simply does not go far enough. We are at the stage now where we need more than rhetoric, we need to take a strategic approach if we want a different outcome. What is proposed in the plan will not offer this. 'We must have a funded, dedicated research hub to leverage our world-leading life sciences sector to unlock treatments and ultimately cures for ME. 'Without a commitment to better co-ordinate research, people with ME will continue to be neglected, overlooked and, for many, confined to their homes. 'ME charities have been calling for this funding to be accelerated for years and we are still not seeing a strategic approach to address this historic shortfall. Once again, it feels like people with ME have been ignored.' Dr Charles Shepherd, honorary medical advisor and trustee at the ME Association, said: 'Whilst today's announcement is an important step forward in helping to improve the quality of life of people with ME/CFS, the Government must now go much further to improve their medical care and management and help to fund much needed biomedical research into cause and treatment.'
