List of differential diagnoses for ME/CFS

Many different diagnoses have been suggest for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). A number of the common differential diagnoses also commonly occur in patients with ME/CFS, so they should not be regarded as conditions that automatically exclude the diagnosis of ME/CFS.

Other differential diagnoses

 * Other neurological diseases and disorders
 * Autoimmune disorders
 * Infectious diseases
 * Endocrine diseases
 * Cancers
 * B12 deficiency
 * anemias
 * poisons, e.g. chronic ciguatera
 * Celiac disease

Notable articles

 * 1994, Consideration of narcolepsy in the differential diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome - (Abstract)
 * 1998, Phosphate diabetes in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome - (Abstract)
 * 2000, Differential diagnosis: The challenge of chronic fatigue - (Full text)
 * "Many syndromes and diseases have the symptom of chronic fatigue as the most distressing, unremitting complaint. It is the consideration of these other possible causes - their confirmation or exclusion - which constitutes the discipline of ditferential diagnosis. Syndromes which are "look alikes," or indeed identical syndromes, include post-viral states, chronic viraemias, neoplastic syndromes, neurological diseases, especially in the eariy substantial stages of neuromuscular disease, psychiatric disorders, and some forms of both organic and inorganic poisoning. To mislabel any one of these as CFS or ME, or to leave a patient with CFS undiagnosed as such, means the discipline of differential diagnosis has failed."


 * 2001, Chronic fatigue syndrome: oxidative stress and dietary modifications - (Full text) - Celiac disease
 * 2004, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Differential Diagnosis with Depression - (Abstract)
 * 2006, Differential diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome and major depressive disorder -The (Full text)
 * 2008, A systematic review of chronic fatigue syndrome: don't assume it's depression - (Full text)