Date: October 1, 2009
Author: Lourdes Salvador
URL: http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/120820
Gene Responsible for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Identified
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In recent news, Alan Light, a research professor in the anesthesiology
department, dispels the myth that chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is
mere laziness.
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is characterized by disabling fatigue,
unrefreshing sleep, headaches, depression, cognitive dysfunction, and
body pain.
More than 4 million Americans suffer from CFS. While more frequent in
women aged 40-59 years, people of all ages, ethnicities, economic
statuses, and both sexes may develop CFS.
Light explains that there is a gene that produces a protein which
tells the muscles when they are too tired to keep working. When this
gene signals, people feel fatigued and are encouraged to rest.
However, in persons with chronic fatigue syndrome, this gene signals
the muscles too early. This leads to fatigue and exhaustion at much
lower levels of activity than most of us experience.
Exercise acts to increase proteins which signal muscles fatigue. In
normal people, these proteins are limited; however, in people with
CFS these proteins increase rapidly and induce a feeling of exhaustion.
Though graded exercise therapy is often recommended for people with
CFS, this finding shows that exercise is extremely counter-productive
for people with CFS.
Light=B4s research does not identify what causes this gene to suddenly
malfunction in previously healthy people, though he hopes that CFS
will now be viewed as an actual disease.
Even more importantly, a simple genetic test could identify chronic
fatigue syndrome for diagnostic purposes.
Other research has linked vaccinations, toxic environmental exposures,
and various infections as triggers of CFS. Toxic exposures may act to
alter genetic constitution. Vaccines may act to sensitize the immune
system.
There is now sufficient evidence that chronic fatigue syndrome is real
and disabling. Light=B4s research may lead to potential treatments for
CFS.
This article originally appeared in the MCS America News, October 2009
Issue
http://mcs-america.org/october2009.pdf
For more articles on this topic, see: MCSA News.
http://mcs-america.org/index_files/newsletterarchives.htm
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(c) 2009 Ultio, LLC.
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