What is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis?
Recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1969 under ICD-10 code: G93.3, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) is classified among neurological diseases, alongside other conditions affecting the brain and the central nervous system.
It is a severe, complex, and profoundly disabling neurological disease.
Among the main symptoms:
- Persistent extreme fatigue, not relieved by rest and disproportionate to the effort exerted.
- Post-exertional intolerance (or post-exertional malaise – PEM): a marked worsening of symptoms after physical or mental activity, sometimes lasting several days or weeks.
- Muscle and joint pain, headaches, generalized discomfort.
- Cognitive impairment (“brain fog”): difficulty concentrating, short-term memory problems, confusion, slowed thinking.
- Sleep disturbances: unrefreshing sleep, insomnia, or excessive sleepiness.
- Autonomic nervous system dysfunction: dizziness, palpitations, heat or cold intolerance, digestive issues, etc.
- Frequent immune dysfunction, with hypersensitivity to infections or medication intolerances.
Why the term “Chronic Fatigue Syndrome”?
This label was introduced to simplify and, in practice, minimize the true impact of the disease. Even today, it continues to foster a misleading perception of its severity.
What patients experience has nothing to do with ordinary tiredness: it is a deep, sometimes total exhaustion that quickly becomes incapacitating — a state that the word “fatigue” does not accurately describe.
Saying that one suffers from “chronic fatigue syndrome” often leads to responses such as:
“You should rest for a few days, you’ll feel better.”
Or worse: “It’s probably psychosomatic, you should see a psychiatrist.”
And above all… no further investigation is pursued.
Even within the medical community, the majority of practitioners — whether general practitioners, psychiatrists, or specialists — do not truly know what it is.