BELGIUM
Dr. Kenny De Meirleir of the Brussels Free University (VUB) has announced that he has
successfully developed a diagnostic test for ME/CFS. The Myalgic Encephalopathy
Association Belgium (MEAB) estimates there are between 30,000 to 40,000 people in Belgium
with ME/CFS.
Since 2002, the Flemish government has invested over €10 million in five "reference
centres" across the region in Leuven, Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels for the diagnosis
and treatment for ME/CFS but offer only cognitive behavioural therapy and physical
rehabilitation.
"These people have been mistreated for years," Dr De Meirleir says. "CFS
was treated as a psychosomatic complaint. But someone who runs 10 metres after a bus and
then has to spend a week in bed recovering has a serious medical problem."
The test, manufactured by Protea Biopharma, in which Dr De Meirleir is a partner, detects
the presence of hydrogen sulphide (H2S), which is produced in the intestines when bacteria
come in contact with heavy metals. People with ME/ CFS have been shown to have higher
concentrations of intestinal bacteria than normal, which leads to higher levels of H2S.
H2S is a gas present in minuscule concentrations in normal people but at toxic levels in
ME/CFS patients. The reasons for overproduction of bacteria can range from lactose
intolerance to viral infection to stress.
According to the draft of a journal article soon to be published by Dr. De Meirleir and
his team, H2S causes intolerance to light and noise, a depressed immune system and low
white blood cell count. It also leads to retention of mercury by the body, which in turn
produces cell death and damage to energy metabolism. The biggest effects, though, are
produced on the central nervous system, explaining the main symptoms of ME/CFS.
“There’s still a great deal of work to be done to find a cure” Dr. De Meirleir told Radio
1 listeners "CFS is not an illness, it's a condition," which means that
the underlying causes of ME/CFS could vary widely and that each would have to be treated
on its own.
Note: Dr. Kenny De Meirleir was one of the panel members of the Canadian ME/CFS Working
Case Clinical Definition, Diagnostic & Treatment Protocols, a Consensus Document
published in 2003 which can be viewed at
http://www.mefmaction.com
Lydia
Lydia E. Neilson, M.S.M. , Founder
Chief Executive Officer
NATIONAL ME/FM ACTION NETWORK
512 - 33 Banner Road
Nepean, ON K2H 8V7 Canada
Tel. 613.829.6667
Fax 613.829.8518
Email: mefmaction(a)ncf.ca
www.mefmaction.net
NATIONAL ME/FM ACTION NETWORK - HOST OF THE IACFS/ME INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH & CLINICAL
CONFERENCE - OTTAWA, CANADA
SEPTEMBER 22 - 25, 2011
Visit:
www.iacfsme.org