Other Illnesses very similar to ME & Co-existing and co-mormid Illnesses with ME

 

Today, most medical doctors have 10 minutes or less to see a patient. In this limited time it is impossible to make an accurate diagnosis of any illness. Many patients are given a quick diagnosis or a non diagnosis which in most cases may be wrong. The pressure for speed, quickness, and efficiency and to increase patient numbers and financial revenues means quality and thorough diagnosis is sacrificed.

Before testing for immune system dysfunctions and neurological deficits, viruses, myocplasma, bacteria infections, etc. doctors must test for the following illnesses which have been commonly misdiagnosed as ME. These illnesses share many similarities and symptoms with ME and can easily be mistaken for ME. Some are co-morbid illnesses with ME in a minority of cases.
ME Research UK found that misdiagnosis is very common in ME and CFS and published their findings online at http://www.meresearch.org.uk/information/publications/misdiagnosis-on-a-grand-scale/

Most common Illnesses misdiagnosed as ME / CFS. Some can be co-morbid with ME/CFS.

  • Behçet's disease may co-exist with ME in minority of cases
  • Endocrine Ilnesses
    • Hypopituitarism, post-traumatic Hypopituitarism (PTHP), and Pituitary Diseases often undiagnosed for years and also misdiagnosed as ME / CFS. How doctors are failing to spot the brain injury that could be behind 30,000 cases of 'chronic fatigue' Daily Mail, 17 May 2014. The Glucagon stimulation test is recommended by endocrinologists.
    • Hypercortisolaemia often misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
    • Pituitary gland disorders often misdiganosed as ME or other illnesses. Test functions, hormone output and for structural damage to the pituitary gland
    • Hypothalmus gland disorders often misdiagnosed as ME. Test functions, hormone output and for structural damage to the hypothalmus gland
    • Pineal gland disorders often misdiagnosed as ME. Test functions, hormone output and for structural damage to the pineal gland
    • Thyroid gland disorders often misdiagnosed as ME. Hashimoto's thyroiditis, abnormal Reverse T3 levels and activity, TSH, TPO (TPO - if positive, T4 & T3 dosage will need to be increased). T4 - free and bound, T3 - free (often low even if T4 is normal in ME due to the sick thyroid syndrome). (Dr. Austin Darrah). Level of thyroid hormone bound to thyroid binding globulin (TBG). (Dr. Edward Conley), Levels of Free T4 and Free T3 (Dr. Edward Conley). TRH test - the best thyroid test of all, Defects in the conversion rate of T4 to T3 (Dr. Edward Conley), Thyroiditis and inflammation of the thyroid gland (Dr. Edward Conley).
    • Adrenal gland disorders often misdiagnosed as ME. Test for Addison's disease, Test for hypo-adrenalism or adrenal insufficiency, Test for abnormal levels of adrenal hormones, Test for shrinking of adrenal glands and structural damage to the adrenal glands.
      Genova Laboratory http://www.gdx.net/uk/product/20
  • Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (EDS) often misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
    An EDS specialist will need to carry out diagnosis based on
    (i) symptoms
    (ii) Brighton criteria and Brighton Score
    (iii) genetic tests
    (iv) collagen typing via skin biopsy
    (v) echocardiogram, and lysyl hydroxylase or oxidase activity.
  • Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) co-exists with ME in some cases
  • Orthostatic Intolerance co-exists with ME in most cases
  • Chemical and Pesticide poisoning. Dr. Richardson also recognised that the common symptoms found in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis occurred in others exposed to chemical toxins, especially organochlorines such as lindane.
    Richardson J. Four cases of pesticide poisoning presenting as “ME”, treated with a choline ascorbic acid mixture. J Chronic Fatigue 2000611–21.21 
    Richardson J. Enteroviral and toxin mediated myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and other organ pathologies. Binghampton, New York: Haworth Medical Press, 2001
  • Enterovirus 68 (EV68, EV-D68, HEV68) infection, and also acute flaccid myelitis.
  • Magnesium deficiency inside blood cells and tissues co-exists with ME in some cases
  • Vitamin D deficiency, Folic acid and B-12 deficiency co-exists with ME in some cases
  • NAD deficiency inside cells and tissues co-exists with ME in some cases
  • Nocturnal Hypoxia often misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Central Diabetes Insipidus often misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Hypoparathyroidism and Hyperparathyroidism. Often misdiagnosed as ME
  • High Reverse T3 levels may co-exist with ME / CFS in many of cases
  • Head injuries in the past. Often misdiagnosed as ME
  • Fibromyalgia may co-exist with ME in some cases
  • Sleep apnea often misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Blastocystis hominis often misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Pernicious Anemia often misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Hepatitis A, B, C often undiagnosed for years and also misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Toxic Hepatitis. May be implicated in cases of toxic exposures. Often misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Ramsey Hunt Sydrome often misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Hashimoto's thyroiditis often undiagnosed for years and also misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Primary Immunodeficiency. A genetic condition often undiagnosed for years and also misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Common Variable Immune Deficiency (CVID) often undiagnosed for years and also misdiagnosed as ME / CFS. Over time, chronic infections lead to damage to ears and hearing, to nose and sinuses, to lungs and to eyes. See following news article - Do you catch every bug going?
  • Adverse reactions to vaccines - Hepatitis B vaccine, MMR vaccine, Polio vaccine, measles vaccine. May co-exist with ME / CFS in minority of cases
  • Endometriosis may co-exist with ME in minority of cases. Common in women
  • Raynaud’s syndrome may co-exist with ME / CFS in minority of cases
  • Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome often misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Wilson's Disease often misdiagnosed as ME
  • Multiple Sclerosis often misdiagnosed as ME
  • Cushing's Syndrome
  • Chronic anemia often misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Autoimmune Disease Interstitial Pneumonia often misdiagnosed as ME
  • Sarcoidosis often misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Guillain-Barré syndrome often misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Borna virus disease often undiagnosed.
  • Primary mitochondrial disease often misdiagnosed as ME
  • Leigh's disease and other Mitochondria diseases and syndrome
  • Mutations in FBXL4 and Mitochondrial Encephalopathy
  • Hyperthyroidism and Hypothyroidism
  • Primary liver disease
  • Tests for chronic focal infections. Including dental infections, jawbone infections, nasal and sinus infections and tonsil infections
    Test for
    (i) dental infections and jawbone infections. This will require x-rays and scans. It many also require tissue biopsies. Kirilian Imaging Analysis may be useful in some cases.
    (ii) nasal and sinus infections. This will require tissue and cartilage biopsies.
    (iii) tonsil infections. This will require tissue biopsies    . Kirilian Imaging Analysis may be useful in some cases.
  • Narcolepsy often undiagnosed for years and also misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Chronic Epstein Barr virus infection may coexist with ME / CFS in minority of cases
  • Rheumatological disorders
  • Sjögren's syndrome often undiagnosed for years and also misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Diabetes often undiagnosed for years and also misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Iron deficiency often undiagnosed for years and also misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Alcoholism, drug abuse, very poor diet and poor nutritional status
  • Bornholm disease
  • Von Economo's Encephalitis
  • Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis often undiagnosed for years and also misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome often undiagnosed for years and also misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency often misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Venulitis
  • Artery and vein blockages
  • Aneurysms, Subclavian steal anomaly, Carotid atherosclerosis, Heart diseases
  • Young-Onset Monogenetic Parkinsonism
  • Gulf War illness
  • Ciguatera poisoning
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus often misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Scleroderma often undiagnosed for years and also misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Pfisteria often undiagnosed for years and also misdiagnosed as ME / CFS
  • Post-SARS Syndrome
  • Cancer
  • T.B.


Dr. Byron Hyde a medical doctor, researcher and ME expert recommends the testing for the following

a. Missed cardiac disease,
b. Missed malignancy,
c. Missed vascular disease,
d. Missed brain lesion either of a vascular or space occupying lesion,
e. Missed test positive rheumatologic disease,
f. Missed test negative rheumatologic disease,
g. Missed endocrine disease,
h. Missed physiological disease,
i. Missed genetic disease,
j. Missed chronic infectious disease,
k. Missed pharmacological or immunization induced disease,
l. Missed social disease,
m. Missed drug use disease or habituation,
n. Missed dietary dysfunction diseases,
o. Missed psychiatric disease

A Brief History of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, by Dr. Byron Hyde


Other Tests

 
  • All Degenerative diseases - Cancer,  Diabetes,  Anemia,  Sarcoidosis, Addisons disease,  Multiple Sclerosis,  Haemochromatosis,  All Autoimmune diseases,  Lupus,  Systemic Lupus Erythematosus,  Rheumatoid arthritis, minor brain haemorraging,  Hypoglycaemia,  very abnormal red blood cell counts,  very abnormal blood platelet counts, Epilepsy (day or night epilepsy), etc.
  • All Brain diseases - Herpes simplex encephalitis,  Huntingdons disease, ALS, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Epilepsy, frontal lobe dieases, etc.
  • Traumatic brain inury which affects one's sleep, cognitive functions, ANS functions, reflexes, bowel and kidney functions, anxiety levels and vitamin D levels.
  • All Organ and glandular diseases - Brights disease, kidney diseases, liver diseases, heart disease, glandular dieases,. Gilbert's syndrome, etc.
  • Gastro-Intestinal disorders. Peptic Ulcers, Crohn's disease, Ulcerative Coilitis. Coeliac disease, test for chromogranin-A, this is a test for Coeliac disease.

    - Parasites in the intestines. Parasites includes intestinal flukes, ascaris lumbricoides, Schistosoma blood flukes, Giardia intestinalis, Cryptosporidium, hookworms, pin worms, thread worms, tape worms, beefworms.

    - Fungal overgrowth. Candida Albicans - gut fermentation tests, stool tests, bowel tissue tests.
  • Go to a sleep clinic and check for obstructive sleep apnoea, central sleep apnoea, primary Sleep disorder, night epilepsy, restless leg syndrome, night panic attacks, sleep walking, excessive NMDA activity in the brain at night.


  

  • Check for all types of Spinal injuries. Also swelling of muscles, glands or tissues on either side of the spine, putting pressure on the spine. Also misalignment of vertebrae between the top of the neck and the middle of the back.
  • Test for main Tropical diseases (this is now a worldwide problem as a result of increased air travel and global emigration). You may not have travelled to tropical regions but your friends, family, neighbours, new immigrants etc. may have come back from these regions.
  • Heavy metal poisoning. Scientific and medical studies show that accidental overdoses / poisoning  can damage the brain, nervous system, kidneys and endocrine system. Mercury fillings in teeth are now banned in several countries and states due to the dangers mercury poses to human health. Check levels of mercury, lead, copper, aluminium and cadmium in the blood and tissues. 
  • Carbon monoxide poisoning. Scientific and medical studies show that accidental overdoses / poisoning  can damage the brain, nervous system and heart.
    Diagnosis of acute CO poisoning can be made by doing a blood test for carboxyhaemoglobin levels. This has to be done within 3 hours of exposure or nothing will show 

  • Severe obesity

  • Thyroid gland Abnormality
    Check for hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Hashimotos Encephalopathy and all other diseases of the thyroid gland. Also check for T4, FT4, T3, FT3, TSH, TgAb, TPO and Reverse T3. Body temperature check in the morning afternoon and evening for 5 days. These tests will give a complete profile of the patient's thyroid glands.

 

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