Written question asked by Mike Hancock (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 6 September 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 8 September 2011. It was answered by Paul Burstow (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 12 September 2011 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what definition of myalgic encephalopathy his Department uses; and how it categorises the condition.

Answer: The report of the CFS/ME Working Group to the chief medical officer, in January 2002, suggested that the composite term chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) be used as an umbrella term for this condition, or spectrum of disease.This term is used by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for their clinical guidelines, which also provide a definition of this condition for health professionals.The Department classes CFS/ME as a long-term neurological disease of unknown cause.

Secondary information