Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome does not currently have a diagnostic test. But this may soon change, as researchers have developed a test that can predict it with an unprecedented level of accuracy.

Share on Pinterest Extreme exhaustion often characterizes ME/CFS.

Currently, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is estimated to affect more than 1 million people in the United States, and up to 24 million people worldwide.

This often debilitating condition is characterized by feelings of extreme exhaustion, muscle and joint pain, and insomnia, as well as difficulty concentrating or remembering things.

The causes of ME/CFS remain unknown, and in the absence of a proper diagnostic test for it, healthcare professionals have to exclude other disorders and examine a patient’s history before they can tell whether a person has ME/CFS or not.

However, this may soon change, as a team of researchers led by those at the Center for Infection and Immunity (CII) at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York City, NY, have engineered a highly accurate test for the disorder.

The researchers detail their findings in a new study recently published in the journal Scientific Reports. Dr. Dorottya Nagy-Szakal, a CII researcher, is the first author of the paper.