I would like to thank all those who have spent time completing our research questionnaires. I am extremely grateful and already we are getting some very interesting and exciting results. To date over 100 people have volunteered themselves as willing to participate and so far 70 questionnaires have been returned, scored and the results databased. So a huge thank you for your enthusiasm, support and time.

One of the things that has immediately surprised me is the number of those of you of a 'certain age' , in my ignorance I had always followed the dogma that CFS/ME is a disease of younger adults. Interestingly those CFS/ME patients who are older are equally fatigued, experience the same severity of symptoms but have had these symptoms for longer - so CFS/ME is a disease of older people, however it seems to present rarely for the first time when you are older.

Perhaps the most exciting result so far is, that our hunch that problems with heart rate and blood pressure regulation (autonomic dysfunction) play a part in some people with CFS/ME has been given more strength by the early results. The questionnaires were designed to look at symptoms that are commonly associated with autonomic dysfunction and we have shown that the more fatigued you are, the more symptoms consistent with autonomic dysfunction you have (Compass score) suggesting that the two may be linked.

I am really pleased to say that MERGE ( recently re-named ME Research UK) have agreed to fund the further components of our study, and we are now hoping to invite volunteers with CFS/ME into our unit to participate in some tests of blood pressure regulation. One of the research team will be contacting those who have expressed an interest over the
next 6-8 months.

Many thanks again. Dr Julia Newton