M.E. is short for Mialgic Encephalomyelitis. The term M.E. was coined in 1956.

My = muscle, Algic = pain, Encephalo = brain, Mye = spinal cord, Itis = inflammation.

What defines M.E. is a specific type of acquired damage to the brain (the central nervous system) caused by a virus; an enterovirus.

This neurological damage has been confirmed in autopsies of M.E. patients.

M.E. is similar in a number of significant ways to illnesses such as multiple sclerosis, Lupus and Poliomyelitis (polio). Earlier names for M.E. were ‘atypical multiple sclerosis’ and ‘atypical polio.’

M.E can be disabling and some patients are housebound, wheelchair-reliant and/or bedbound and are severely limited with even basic movement and communication. In some cases Myalgic Encephalomyelitis is fatal.