Bragee ME center Stockholm

Bragee ME center in Stockholm, Sweden, is a private and specialized clinic endorsed by the Stockholm County region to help patients with ME/CFS. The clinic is a national resource and welcomes patients from all over Sweden.

History

Bragee ME center started in 2018. By February 2022 around 1600 patients with ME/CFS were registered at the clinic, all diagnosed according to the Canadian Consensus Criteria (CCC).

Staff

The center has around 35 employees within various professions, of whom many with scientific experience (PhDs, Associate professors, and Professors).

Aims

The clinic, and many of its staff, have the ambition to contribute scientifically to improve the knowledge of the disease.

The clinic aims to explore the potential importance of intracranial pressure abnormalities (see publication below), but also contribute to other aspects of the disease, such as improving diagnostic precision and treatment efficiency.

Research

In 2018, representatives of the clinic initiated the research network PIAF (Pain Inflammation And Fatigue) with monthly meetings at which multinational speakers are invited to present their latest findings and hypotheses in relation to ME/CFS (NB. restricted access, invitation needed).

Collaborative studies are ongoing to which the clinic provide material from patients with ME/CFS, following existing ethical regulations including informed consent.

In house placebo-controlled treatment studies were recently initiated.

Notable studies

• 2020, Intracranial Hypertension, Hypermobility, and Craniocervical Obstructions in Patients With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - (Abstract)
• 2022, Saliva antibody-fingerprint of reactivated latent viruses after mild/asymptomatic COVID-19 is unique in patients with myalgic-encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome

Online presence

• Website, in Swedish)

See also

• Sweden

See myalgic encephalomyelitis.

See chronic fatigue syndrome.

See Canadian consensus criteria.

Canadian Consensus Criteria (CCC) - A set of diagnostic criteria used to diagnose ME/CFS, developed by a group of practicing ME/CFS clinicians in 2003. The CCC is often considered to be the most complex criteria, but possibly the most accurate, with the lowest number of patients meeting the criteria. Led to the development of the International Consensus Criteria (ICC) in 2011.

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.

antibodies Antibody/immunoglobulin refers to any of a large number of specific proteins produced by B cells that act against an antigen in an immune response.