Let’s face it. . . chronic illness can have its humorous moments if we look for them. Feel free to add yours below in the comments. We’d love to giggle along with you! [...]
|
|||||
|
Traces of a retrovirus similar to HIV are found in most patients with this mysterious disorder – chronic fatigue syndrome. It could be an opportunistic virus, but researchers want further testing to see if it actually causes the syndrome. In what may prove to be the first significant major breakthrough in the fight against chronic fatigue syndrome, researchers reported on Thursday that they had found traces of a virus in the vast majority of affected patients. This same virus has previously been identified in at least a quarter of prostate tumors, particularly those that are very aggressive, and has also been linked to certain types of cancers of the blood. It remains possible that the virus, known as xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus, or XMRV, is a so-called passenger virus that is simply infecting patients whose immune systems have been suppressed by other causes. But the new findings were sufficiently alarming that the National Cancer Institute called together a group of experts in August to consider its potential effect on public health. “We are in the very early days,” said Stuart Le Grice, director of the National Cancer Institute’s Center of Excellence in HIV/AIDS and Cancer Virology, who organized the meeting but was not involved in the new study. “The data need to be confirmed and repeated. . . . We need to know that it is a cause and not just a passenger. In a sense, we are at the same stage as we were when HIV was first discovered. Hopefully, we can take advantage of what we learned from working with it.” Le Grice emphasized, however, that traces of the virus had been found in blood samples preserved for 25 years. “This is not associated with a new and spreading disease. We are not on the verge of an epidemic,” he said. Chronic fatigue syndrome, which affects at least 1 million Americans and more than 17 million people worldwide, is characterized by debilitating fatigue, chronic pain and depression, as well as other symptoms. Many doctors have argued that it is not a real disorder because there have previously been no biochemical markers that characterize it. The only effective treatments are behavioral changes and antidepressants, and they are of limited benefit. » Continue reading Virus discovery called breakthrough in fight against chronic fatigue syndrome » Fibromyalgia is a chronic illness that causes immense physical pain and debilitating fatigue for those diagnosed with it. Classified as a syndrome, fibromyalgia is not a disease and is not contagious. Instead, it is a condition that causes many different symptoms that affect all systems throughout the body. Fibromyalgia plagues up to 5% of the general population with over 6 million sufferers in the United States alone. The name fibromyalgia comes from “fibro” meaning fibrous tissue (such as tendons and ligaments), “my” meaning muscles, and “algia” meaning pain. The Pain of It All Fibromyalgia patients often feel like they are aching all over and have a general soreness; muscles feel sore, stiff, and overworked. Muscle twitches are also common in fibromyalgia which sadly add to the pain of the illness. The muscles can also feel like they are burning and have the sensation of someone holding a hot iron to someone skin. A Chronic Disorder Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) can be described as a feeling of overwhelming fatigue that’s not relieved by rest nor any other common treatments. People with chronic fatigue syndrome will or have experienced the symptoms listed below for at least six months: * Impaired short term memory or impaired ability to concentrate, which significantly impacts day to day activities * Sore throat * Tender lymph nodes under the arms or in the neck * Muscle pain * Pain in multiple joints, but with no joint swelling or redness * Headache * Waking without feeling refreshed * A general feeling of malaise following physical activity. This feeling of malaise lasts for longer than 24 hours [...] |
![[Google]]( http://www.curemywife.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/easy-adsenser/google-light.gif) |
||||
|
Copyright © 2010 CureMyWife.com – A support network for women with chronic illness and pain. All Rights Reserved. Design & maintenance JBM Productions |
|||||
