Recent research conducted in the United Kingdom on CFS found that there are seven subtypes of this illness. The report from JCP Online says:
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) is a multisystem disease, the pathogenesis of which remains undetermined. We have recently reported a study of gene expression which identified differential expression of 88 human genes in patients with CFS/ME. Clustering of QPCR data from CFS/ME patients revealed 7 distinct subtypes with distinct differences in SF-36 scores, clinical phenotypes and severity. In this study, for each CFS/ME subtype, we determined those genes whose expression differed significantly from that of normal blood donors, and then determined gene interactions, disease associations and molecular and cellular functions of those gene sets. Genomic analysis was then related to clinical data for each CFS/ME subtype.
The seven subtypes include:
- Subtype 1- cognitive, musculoskeletal, sleep, anxiety / depression
- Subtype 2– musculoskeletal, pain, anxiety / depression
- Subtype 3 – mild
- Subtype 4 – cognitive
- Subtype 5– musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal
- Subtype 6– postexertional
- Subtype 7– pain, infectious, musculoskeletal, sleep, neurological, gastrointestinal, neurocognitive, anxiety / depression
Subtypes 1, 2 & 7 were considered to be the worst, with Subtype 3 the mildest form of CFS. Can you determine what your subtype is? I would have to say I’m a Subtype 7.
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