Genetics and CFS
The largest genetic study of chronic fatigue syndrome is being prepared in the UK
In the UK, they plan to conduct the most extensive study to identify a genetic predisposition to chronic fatigue syndrome. The Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health Research should allocate 3.2 million pounds for this. Scientists intend to collect DNA samples of twenty thousand people suffering from the syndrome.
Chronic fatigue syndrome, or myalgic encephalomyelitis, manifests itself as a feeling of severe fatigue that does not go away even after a long rest and sleep. Other symptoms include headache, insomnia, problems with concentration, sensitivity to light and noise. The causes of the disease are still unknown. A number of researchers believe that viruses can serve as triggers of chronic fatigue syndrome. There is no effective treatment for the syndrome.
There are at least 250,000 patients with this diagnosis in the UK, and a quarter of them have the disease so severe that they cannot leave home, and some are even bedridden. The economic damage from chronic fatigue syndrome is estimated at billions of pounds.
The study was called DecodeME, led by Professor Chris Ponting from the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Edinburgh. The DNA samples of the patients will be compared with a similar number of control samples of people not affected by the syndrome, which can be obtained from the UK Biobank. Patients aged 16 and older can voluntarily participate from home by registering on the DecodeME website. When the study begins, they will be mailed a saliva sample collection kit.
Scientists hope that the study will reveal differences in human DNA that affect the risk of developing CFS, and thereby help in the development of diagnostic tests and targeted treatments, and possibly help to identify the main causes of the disease.
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