Leitch, A G · QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians · 1995
This 1995 paper explores the history and naming of ME/CFS, comparing three different terms used to describe the condition: neurasthenia (an older term), myalgic encephalitis, and chronic fatigue syndrome. The author examines how the same illness has been called different names over time and in different places, which can create confusion about what the condition actually is.
This paper is important because terminology directly affects how patients are diagnosed, treated, and studied. By clarifying the history and distinctions between different names for ME/CFS, this work helps both patients and clinicians understand why there has been so much confusion and disagreement about the condition's identity and legitimacy.
This paper does not provide new scientific evidence about the biological mechanisms, causes, or treatments of ME/CFS. It does not prove which name is most appropriate or establish diagnostic criteria. As a historical review rather than an empirical study, it cannot definitively resolve debates about disease classification.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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