Sly Saint
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Martyn Hooper Chair of Pernicious Anaemia Society on new NICE guidelines for ME:
"Last week I was at a NICE consultation which was looking at the problems with the diagnosis of Myalgic Encephalopathy (or encephalomyelitis). Because there are so many contentious issues concerning the disease NICE are going to take a good look at the subject and issue a new Guideline for doctors.
Similar Symptoms
The symptoms of the disease are incredibly similar to those of Pernicious Anaemia – extreme and constant tiredness, difficulty thinking straight, mood swings etc. etc. And I know that a great many members of the Pernicious Anaemia were suspected of having ME and diagnosed with the condition before finally being told that they had Pernicious Anaemia.
I suspect that a great many people who have been diagnosed as having ME/CFS actually have Pernicious Anaemia; and the reason I say this is because the current NICE Guideline states that no investigation for any B12 Deficiency should take place unless there was signs of macrocytosis from the full blood count taken. Now, we know that only around 50-60% of patients with low B12 will have enlarged red blood cells and so if a patient’s blood shows no macrocytosis no investigation takes place as to whether low B12 could be the cause of the patient’s symptoms."
https://www.martynhooper.com/2018/02/10/chronic-fatigue-syndrome/
"Last week I was at a NICE consultation which was looking at the problems with the diagnosis of Myalgic Encephalopathy (or encephalomyelitis). Because there are so many contentious issues concerning the disease NICE are going to take a good look at the subject and issue a new Guideline for doctors.
Similar Symptoms
The symptoms of the disease are incredibly similar to those of Pernicious Anaemia – extreme and constant tiredness, difficulty thinking straight, mood swings etc. etc. And I know that a great many members of the Pernicious Anaemia were suspected of having ME and diagnosed with the condition before finally being told that they had Pernicious Anaemia.
I suspect that a great many people who have been diagnosed as having ME/CFS actually have Pernicious Anaemia; and the reason I say this is because the current NICE Guideline states that no investigation for any B12 Deficiency should take place unless there was signs of macrocytosis from the full blood count taken. Now, we know that only around 50-60% of patients with low B12 will have enlarged red blood cells and so if a patient’s blood shows no macrocytosis no investigation takes place as to whether low B12 could be the cause of the patient’s symptoms."
https://www.martynhooper.com/2018/02/10/chronic-fatigue-syndrome/