Life-Threatening Malnutrition in Very Severe ME/CFS
Very severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), (also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) can lead to problems with nutrition and hydration. The reasons can be an inability to swallow, severe gastrointestinal problems tolerating food or the patient being too debilitated to eat and drink. Some patients wi...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Healthcare |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/9/4/459 |
| _version_ | 1797537802402922496 |
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| author | Helen Baxter Nigel Speight William Weir |
| author_facet | Helen Baxter Nigel Speight William Weir |
| author_sort | Helen Baxter |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Very severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), (also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) can lead to problems with nutrition and hydration. The reasons can be an inability to swallow, severe gastrointestinal problems tolerating food or the patient being too debilitated to eat and drink. Some patients with very severe ME will require tube feeding, either enterally or parenterally. There can often be a significant delay in implementing this, due to professional opinion, allowing the patient to become severely malnourished. Healthcare professionals may fail to recognize that the problems are a direct consequence of very severe ME, preferring to postulate psychological theories rather than addressing the primary clinical need. We present five case reports in which delay in instigating tube feeding led to severe malnutrition of a life-threatening degree. This case study aims to alert healthcare professionals to these realities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:21:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a39526ec81fa4bb5a1613ee87acad860 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9032 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:21:26Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Healthcare |
| spelling | doaj.art-a39526ec81fa4bb5a1613ee87acad8602023-11-21T15:29:22ZengMDPI AGHealthcare2227-90322021-04-019445910.3390/healthcare9040459Life-Threatening Malnutrition in Very Severe ME/CFSHelen Baxter0Nigel Speight1William Weir225% ME Group, Troon KA10 6HT, UKMedical Advisor to 25% ME Group, Durham DH1 1QN, UKNHS Consultant Physician, London W1G 9PF, UKVery severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), (also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) can lead to problems with nutrition and hydration. The reasons can be an inability to swallow, severe gastrointestinal problems tolerating food or the patient being too debilitated to eat and drink. Some patients with very severe ME will require tube feeding, either enterally or parenterally. There can often be a significant delay in implementing this, due to professional opinion, allowing the patient to become severely malnourished. Healthcare professionals may fail to recognize that the problems are a direct consequence of very severe ME, preferring to postulate psychological theories rather than addressing the primary clinical need. We present five case reports in which delay in instigating tube feeding led to severe malnutrition of a life-threatening degree. This case study aims to alert healthcare professionals to these realities.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/9/4/459Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)enteral feedingNasogastric Tube (NGT)Nasojejunal Tube (NJT)Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) |
| spellingShingle | Helen Baxter Nigel Speight William Weir Life-Threatening Malnutrition in Very Severe ME/CFS Healthcare Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) enteral feeding Nasogastric Tube (NGT) Nasojejunal Tube (NJT) Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) |
| title | Life-Threatening Malnutrition in Very Severe ME/CFS |
| title_full | Life-Threatening Malnutrition in Very Severe ME/CFS |
| title_fullStr | Life-Threatening Malnutrition in Very Severe ME/CFS |
| title_full_unstemmed | Life-Threatening Malnutrition in Very Severe ME/CFS |
| title_short | Life-Threatening Malnutrition in Very Severe ME/CFS |
| title_sort | life threatening malnutrition in very severe me cfs |
| topic | Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) enteral feeding Nasogastric Tube (NGT) Nasojejunal Tube (NJT) Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/9/4/459 |
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