Related diseases

Many different illnesses are potentially related to myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome, or frequently occur in people with ME or CFS.

Common co-morbid diagnoses

The following are known or thought to be frequently co-morbid with and possibly related to ME

• Postural orthostatic tachychardia (POTS)
• Ehler's Danlos Syndromes
• Mast cell activation disorder
• Fibromyalgia
• Irritable bowel syndrome<ref name="ICP2011primer">{{citation

| last1 = Carruthers | first1 = BM | authorlink1 = Bruce Carruthers | last2 = van de Sande | first2 = MI | authorlink2 = Marjorie van de Sande | last3 = De Meirleir | first3 = KL | authorlink3 = Kenny de Meirleir | last4 = Klimas | first4 = NG | authorlink4 = Nancy Klimas | last5 = Broderick | first5 = G | authorlink5 = Gordon Broderick | last6 = Mitchell | first6 = T | authorlink6 = Terry Mitchell | last7 = Staines | first7 = D | authorlink7 = Donald Staines | last8 = Powles | first8 = ACP | authorlink8 = A C Peter Powles | last9 = Speight | first9 = N | authorlink9 = Nigel Speight | last10 = Vallings | first10= R | authorlink10= Rosamund Vallings | last11 = Bateman | first11= L | authorlink11= Lucinda Bateman | last12 = Bell | first12= DS | authorlink12= David Bell | last13 = Carlo-Stella | first13= N | authorlink13= Nicoletta Carlo-Stella | last14 = Chia | first14= J | authorlink14= John Chia | last15 = Darragh | first15= A | authorlink15= Austin Darragh | last16 = Gerken | first16= A | authorlink16= Anne Gerken | last17 = Jo | first17= D | authorlink17= Daehyun Jo | last18 = Lewis | first18= DP | authorlink18= Donald Lewis | last19 = Light | first19= AR | authorlink19= Alan Light | last20 = Light | first20= KC | authorlink20= Kathleen Light | last21 = Marshall-Gradisnik | first21= S | authorlink21= Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik | last22 = McLaren-Howard | first22= J | authorlink22= John McLaren-Howard | last23 = Mena | first23= I | authorlink23= Ismael Mena | last24 = Miwa | first24= K | authorlink24= Kunihisa Miwa | last25 = Murovska | first25= M | authorlink25= Modra Murovska | last26 = Stevens | first26= SR | authorlink26= Staci Stevens | title = Myalgic encephalomyelitis: Adult & Paediatric: International Consensus Primer for Medical Practitioners | date = 2012 | isbn = 978-0-9739335-3-6 | url = http://www.investinme.org/Documents/Guidelines/Myalgic%20Encephalomyelitis%20International%20Consensus%20Primer%20-2012-11-26.pdf }

Other immune and neuro-immune diseases

There are several conditions that are not known to be comorbid with ME but where our understanding of the underlying pathophysiology might inform approaches to researching all immune diseases, or where treatments may have applications across diagnosis.

• Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID)
• Endometriosis
• Idiopathic intracranial hypertension
• Multiple sclerosis
• Lupus
• Lyme disease
• Female predominant diseases

Common missed or misdiagnoses

• Ehler's Danlos Syndromes (EDS)
• Chronic Lyme disease
• Mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS)
• Mitochondrial myopathy
• Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)

See also

• Comorbidities of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
• Neuroimmune disease

postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) - A form of orthostatic intolerance where the cardinal symptom is excessive tachycardia due to changing position (e.g. from lying down to sitting up).

myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.) - A disease often marked by neurological symptoms, but fatigue is sometimes a symptom as well. Some diagnostic criteria distinguish it from chronic fatigue syndrome, while other diagnostic criteria consider it to be a synonym for chronic fatigue syndrome. A defining characteristic of ME is post-exertional malaise (PEM), or post-exertional neuroimmune exhaustion (PENE), which is a notable exacerbation of symptoms brought on by small exertions. PEM can last for days or weeks. Symptoms can include cognitive impairments, muscle pain (myalgia), trouble remaining upright (orthostatic intolerance), sleep abnormalities, and gastro-intestinal impairments, among others. An estimated 25% of those suffering from ME are housebound or bedbound. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies ME as a neurological disease.