Donald Lewis

Dr Donald P. Lewis (died 29 July 2019) was a general practitioner specializing in ME/CFS in Melbourne, Australia. He had been treating patients with ME/CFS and researching the condition since his wife became ill with ME/CFS in 1985.

International Consensus Criteria

Dr Lewis is one of the authors of the 2011 case definition, International Consensus Criteria.

Books

• 2017, Chapter 31 - Sleep, Cognitive and Mood Symptoms in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, in The Handbook of Stress and Health: A Guide to Research and Practice

Notable studies

• 2009, Increased d-lactic Acid intestinal bacteria in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome
• 2014, Comorbidity of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome in an Australian cohort
• 2015, Sleep quality and the treatment of intestinal microbiota imbalance in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A pilot study - (Full text)
• 2015, Metabolic profiling reveals anomalous energy metabolism and oxidative stress pathways in chronic fatigue syndrome patients
• 2016, Widespread pain and altered renal function in ME/CFS patients - (Abstract)
• 2016, Support for the Microgenderome: Associations in a Human Clinical Population - (Full Text)
• 2017, Examining clinical similarities between myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and d-lactic acidosis: a systematic review - (Full Text)
• 2017, The association of fecal microbiota and fecal, blood serum and urine metabolites in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome
• 2017, Activin B is a novel biomarker for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) diagnosis: a cross sectional study - (Full text)
• 2018, Weighting of orthostatic intolerance time measurements with standing difficulty score stratifies ME/CFS symptom severity and analyte detection
• 2018, Open-label pilot for treatment targeting gut dysbiosis in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: neuropsychological symptoms and sex comparisons - (Full Text) (Correction)
• 2019, Post-Exertional Malaise Is Associated with Hypermetabolism, Hypoacetylation and Purine Metabolism Deregulation in ME/CFS Cases - (Full text)
• 2019, An Isolated Complex V Inefficiency and Dysregulated Mitochondrial Function in Immortalized Lymphocytes from ME/CFS Patients - (Abstract)

Clinic location

Dr Lewis founded the CFS Discovery clinic in Donvale, Melbourne, which has since closed.

Talks and interviews

• 2011 - Dr Don Lewis: Latest Understanding of ME/CFS (video)
• 01 Jun 2018 - Radio Interview - ABC Radio National (Australia) - Evenings with Christine Anu - What do we know about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with Dr Donald Lewis & Dr Mark Guthridge (from timestamp 1:34:40 to 1:54:45)
• 19 Aug 2019 - Trial By Error: My Interview with Melbourne’s Dr Don Lewis

cognition Thought processes, including attention, reasoning, and memory.

myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.) - A disease often marked by neurological symptoms, but fatigue is sometimes a symptom as well. Some diagnostic criteria distinguish it from chronic fatigue syndrome, while other diagnostic criteria consider it to be a synonym for chronic fatigue syndrome. A defining characteristic of ME is post-exertional malaise (PEM), or post-exertional neuroimmune exhaustion (PENE), which is a notable exacerbation of symptoms brought on by small exertions. PEM can last for days or weeks. Symptoms can include cognitive impairments, muscle pain (myalgia), trouble remaining upright (orthostatic intolerance), sleep abnormalities, and gastro-intestinal impairments, among others. An estimated 25% of those suffering from ME are housebound or bedbound. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies ME as a neurological disease.

stress Stress can by either physical or psychological, or both. Stress is either 1) a state of emotional or psychological strain or 2) the physical stress (pressure or tension) that a physical object such the human body is placed under, e.g., a stress test is a medical test that monitors the cardiovascular system during strenuous exercise.

microbiome The full collection of microscopic organisms (especially bacteria and fungi) which are present in a particular environment, particularly inside the human body.

renal involving, related to or in the area of the kidneys

serum The clear yellowish fluid that remains from blood plasma after clotting factors have been removed by clot formation. (Blood plasma is simply blood that has had its blood cells removed.)

metabolite A chemical compound produced by, or involved in, metabolism. The term is often used to refer to the degradation products of drugs in the body.

mitochondria Important parts of the biological cell, with each mitochondrion encased within a mitochondrial membrane. Mitochondria are best known for their role in energy production, earning them the nickname "the powerhouse of the cell". Mitochondria also participate in the detection of threats and the response to these threats. One of the responses to threats orchestrated by mitochondria is apoptosis, a cell suicide program used by cells when the threat can not be eliminated.