MEDICAL MATTERS

  • Medical Matters features questions asked by Members of the ME Association on health-related topics.
  • Dr Charles Shepherd and the ME Association's other advisers answer these questions by sharing their expert knowledge.
  • Medical Matters is based on the popular ‘Ask the Doctor’ series in ME Essential magazine.
  • It is a free resource that supplements the detailed information contained in the full range of literature that can be found in the website shop.

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Questions in the Category: Immune System

Vaccinations: Flu (Influenza) 2024-25

ME Essential Autumn 2024

Can you help me reach an informed decision about the 2024-2025 Flu vaccination?

Tonsils and adenoids

ME Essential Summer 2024

Is there a presence of enlarged tonsils and adenoids in adults who have ME/CFS? I was told by an ENT consultant that they shouldn’t normally be visible or prominent in adulthood. He wasn’t concerned and didn’t think an operation was necessary. However, this set me wondering about why are they are enlarged and when an operation might be necessary.

Low-level Immune System Activation

ME Essential Winter 2024

I keep seeing references to ‘low level immune system activation’ being an important research finding in ME/CFS.  But what does this mean in language that I can understand?

Prevalence: Gender

ME Essential Winter 2023

Does anyone know why ME seems to affect more women than men?

I know quite a few people with ME and about 80% are women. This is the same sort of ratio that appears in comments on MEA Facebook – although I
accept that women may be better at communicating their feelings than men!

Has anyone done any research into this?

Classification : ME/CFS

ME Essential Autumn 2023

I know that ME and CFS are both classified by the World Health Organisation as a neurological disease. But I’ve also seen statements on the internet to say that ME is now being classified as an autoimmune disease. Is this correct?

Vaccinations: Autumn Covid Booster 2023

ME Essential Autumn 2023

Can you help me reach an informed decision about the 2023 Autumn Covid Booster vaccination?

Treatment: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)

ME Essential Summer 2023

Has there ever been a clinical trial to assess the use to hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) in ME?  I know that HBO is being used by people with multiple sclerosis as well as ME – so it seems that there are positive effects in the case of neurological diseases. I’ve also read that a clinical trial involving people with Long Covid has found some beneficial effects.

Research: Post-Mortem

ME Essential Summer 2023

What is happening to post-mortem tissue research into ME/CFS at the moment? Is the ME Association still funding and carrying out any postmortem research? And have any significant abnormalities been found in the post-mortems that have been carried out so far?

Treatments: Ampligen

ME Essential Spring 2023

I know that you have answered questions about the failure of people in the UK to have access to Ampligen – a drug that has immunomodulatory actions and is used to treat ME/CFS by some doctors in the USA. However, I’ve been told that the drug regulatory authority in America (the FDA) has now approved its use in treating Long Covid. So does this mean that doctors in the UK can now start prescribing Ampligen?

Treatments: Antibiotics

ME Essential Winter 2022

Please could you provide some guidance on the use of antibiotics if you have ME/CFS. I’ve read about people on internet discussion forums who have been prescribed antibiotics as a treatment. On the other hand, some people say that antibiotics are best avoided if you have ME/CFS.

Charles Shepherd

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