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A reboot for chronic fatigue syndrome research

Research into this debilitating disease has a rocky past. Now scientists may finally be finding their footing.
  1. Amy Maxmen
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Elizabeth Allen keeps careful records of the many treatments she has undergone to relieve the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. Credit: Preston Gannaway for Nature

Name a remedy, and chances are that Elizabeth Allen has tried it: acupuncture, antibiotics, antivirals, Chinese herbs, cognitive behavioural therapy and at least two dozen more. She hates dabbling in so many treatments, but does so because she longs for the healthy days of her past. The 34-year-old lawyer was a competitive swimmer at an Ivy-league university when she first fell ill with chronic fatigue syndrome, 14 years ago. Her meticulous records demonstrate that this elusive malady is much worse than ordinary exhaustion. “Last year, I went to 117 doctor appointments and I paid $18,000 in out-of-pocket expenses,” she says.

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Nature 553, 14-17 (2018)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-017-08965-0

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