Posted on 06/30/2010 9:26:42 PM PDT by Seizethecarp
Two groups of researchers studying a potential link between chronic-fatigue syndrome and a virus called XMRV have reached contradictory conclusions, according to people familiar with the findings.
One group found a link, and the other didn't.
Their reports were held from publication after being accepted by two science journals—a rare move that has caused a stir among scientists in the field.
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Scientists at the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, including NIH infectious-disease specialist Harvey Alter, recently finished research that came to a conclusion similar to that of the Science paper—that XMRV, or xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus, is found in the blood of chronic-fatigue syndrome patients.
The paper was accepted for publication in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America but is on hold, according to Ashley Truxon, media coordinator for the journal. She had no further comment.
Separately, scientists at the CDC, led by microbiologist William Switzer, concluded in a paper in another journal, Retrovirology, that they couldn't find XMRV in the blood of people with chronic-fatigue syndrome, according to people familiar with the situation.
Kuan-Teh Jeang, editor-in-chief of Retrovirology, said the Switzer paper went through peer review and was accepted for publication when he got a call from the authors earlier this month. They asked that the Retrovirology paper be held.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Thanx for this interesting story.
There are probably a variety of reasons why people have dibilitating chronic fatigue.
Immune dysfunction with viruses, low seratonin, underactive thyroid, etc..
People that truly suffer from this ailment, whatever it’s cause, will always be plagued by hypochondriacs and fakers that want to join their ranks.
In my opinion, xmrv IS the cause.
Just like MS, pain can be a huge part of CFS. “Fatigue” is a misnomer.
CFS has always been a diagnosis of exclusion...all other explanations, such as you suggest, must be excluded.
Now for the first time an actual positive test for the XMRV retrovirus has become available and will screen out other causes of CFS.
How did you overcome it?
Back in the old days, we just called it ‘sick and tired’.
Any competent physician can screen out the hypochondriacs.
Interestingly, CFS sufferers have been proved in controlled studies to be resistant to the placebo effect. IOW, when you give them the sugar pill there is less improvement than with other conditions.
The crackpot UK psychiatrist who has been trying to prove that CFS is psychosomatic for decades set up a study anticipating that CFS sufferers would have a greater than average response to placebo psychiatric treatment, but his own study proved the opposite!
See:
http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/cgi/content/full/67/2/301
XMRV was only discovered in 2006 and was only linked to CFS in 2009. “True” CFS has long been suspected of being a post-viral syndrome. It is a lot like a bad case of the flu, which is way beyond merely being sick and tired.
Comedians will miss CFS if it is proved to be caused by XMRV, a retrovirus like HIV.
I have suffered from fatigue for longer than I can remember.
As a teen, I once slept for three days, only getting up to visit the bathroom.
I could do the same thing now except ‘now’ I have responsibilities.
Endless testing has never found a reason for my always being tired.
I can’t attribute it to CFS simply because I have never had any pain which seems to be one of the signs of CFS.
At 58 years of age .. I am resigned to the fact that I will Always be this way.
I had the same experience from around 1986 to 1989. The fatigue was horrible, joint pain, etc. I was referred to an infectious disease specialist and his conclusion (on non-conclusive evidence!) was that I had CFS.
Now I just blame my fatigue on turning 50. That period in the 80’s was NOT a fun time in my life.
“In my opinion, xmrv IS the cause.”
But what if a person has all the symptoms, but doesn’t have xmrv?
Actually if a person is tested positive for xmrv, they might be one of the lucky ones, if there is a good treatment for it.
“Now for the first time an actual positive test for the XMRV retrovirus has become available”
That is very exciting and hopeful, indeed.
Actually it is fibromyalgia folks who have the pain, as well as fatigue, so you might have CFS.
Have you ever tried an alternative doctor?
Are you going to take the XMRV test?
“Comedians will miss CFS if it is proved to be caused by XMRV, a retrovirus like HIV.”
And so will many doctors who say it’s psychological.
I had CFS in 1990. The fatigue was horrible. Had to go back to bed after taking a shower. Could sleep anywhere.
My regular doctor recommended that I see an Internist who just joined the practice. After a 5 minute interview, he concluded that my problem was psychosomatic and prescribed Prozac. I didn’t sleep for three days.
My wife, who happened to be a psych nurse, exploded at the internist and demanded that he provide her with a specific rationale for prescribing an anti-depressant when I was not suffering from depression, only fatigue. He withdrew the prescription.
The truly bad part of my CFS is that it led to neurocardiogenic syncope, which I still suffer from.
I’ve had so many different doctors and test in my life-time that I have given up.
Want to hear what the last and greatest reason for the fatigue?
This one given by .. another specialist!!
Because my mother was 12 at my birth and because I was a preemie .. I Lack .. ‘Something”!
Not sure what it is but Definably .. “Something”!
It is kind of like fibromyalgia, I think many of the people diagnosed with it are truly in pain and sick and then there are those that the Drs. just give them that diagnosis to placate them.
I think they should look into a vitamin D defiency for Fibromyalgia.
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