Management of Nutritional Failure in People with Severe ME/CFS: Review of the Case for Supplementing NICE Guideline NG206

Abstract

In the United Kingdom, a small but steady stream of people diagnosed with ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) have run into serious problems with nutrition because of difficulties with eating and drinking, and some have not survived. The clinical problem is extremely difficult, with little or no formal evidence on which to base diagnosis-specific recommendations for care, or information about prognosis. In several cases, however, the problem has apparently been compounded by a lack of provision of adequate services, misunderstandings, and conflict between health care professionals over diagnosis and approach to management. The following is a review of the clinical problem, including some suggestions for protocol content that might supplement NICE Guideline NG206. The main conclusion is that there is an urgent need for a consensus amongst professionals that focuses on practice based on reliable evidence rather than theory-laden diagnosis. The author is a physician with no direct involvement in ME/CFS care but with an interest in the clinical and scientific problems the condition poses.