The Bateman Horne Center (BHC) is an international center of excellence dedicated to advancing the diagnosis and treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), and other related conditions. Its educational page on ME/CFS features BHC Medical Director and Doctors with M.E. Honorary Fellow Dr. Lucinda Bateman, with videos that take viewers through the diagnostic criteria of ME/CFS, each of the main symptoms and how to manage them. Useful handouts and other resources are also provided.
“ME/CFS can severely impair a patients’ ability to conduct their normal lives, yet many struggle with symptoms for years before receiving a diagnosis. It is estimated that ME/CFS affects upwards of 3 million Americans, 80% of which remain undiagnosed, even after years of cycling through specialty care.”
“There is sufficient evidence to suggest that fatigue in ME/CFS is profound, not the result of ongoing excessive exertion, and is not substantially alleviated by rest. This fatigue must be accompanied by a substantial reduction or impairment in one’s ability to engage in pre-illness levels of occupational, educational, social, or personal activities…”
“Subjective reports of Post Exertional Malaise and prolonged recovery are supported by objective evidence in the scientific literature, including failure to normally reproduce exercise test results (2-day cardiopulmonary exercise test) and impaired cognitive function after exertion. True PEM appears to be pathognomonic to ME/CFS, and is a distinguishing factor when making a differential diagnosis.”
Dr. Lucinda Bateman
Honorary Fellow
Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Bateman Horne Center of Excellence for ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia, Utah, co-author, International Consensus Criteria, Expert Witness, US Institute of Medicine