Good news for people - like my mother - who suffer from ME: “British researchers are close to developing, for the first time, a blood test and potential drug treatments for myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), following groundbreaking work on its genetic origins.”

This development will, logically, make it easier for people to understand the causes and development of the disease. And when you know all that, it’s easier to find a cure for it, or at least to prevent it from completely destroying people’s lives.

So what did they find?

They have identified 88 genes that produce different levels of proteins and other molecules in ME/CFS sufferers compared with the rest of the population.

Dr Kerr’s team carried out a complex analysis of the records of 55 patients and found that they could be divided into seven sub-types according to the specific gene combinations found in their white blood cells, and the severity of their symptoms.

The most acutely affected patients had 71 of the 88 gene abnormalities…

Importantly, the researchers also recognised that five of the 88 genes are targeted by drugs which are already used to treat other diseases.

The team is now investigating whether the faulty genes produce abnormal levels of proteins that can be detected as minute quantities of “biomarkers” in the blood of patients.

“If proven to be sensitive and specific indicators of the illness, the discovery of protein biomarkers could lead to the development of a diagnostic test for ME/CFS, which would revolutionise our approach to this disease,” explains Dr Kerr.

ME is a horrible disease and its made even worse by people who believe that ME isn’t really a disease at all - after all, what can’t be seen yet simply isn’t there - and make fun of it and those who suffer from it by calling it the “yuppie flu.”

As one Sarah, 31 years old, explained: “The stigma associated with the disease can sometimes be as much of a problem as the symptoms.

“Some think that it is ‘all in the mind’ and can be cured by a good night’s sleep. It can be difficult to get friends and work colleagues to understand just how difficult it is to live with a disease that is so debilitating but virtually invisible.”

My mother suffers from ME, but she’s still able to work. I get the impression that it’s less now than it was several years ago; she almost couldn’t get out of bed back then. On the other hand, perhaps she’s used to it by now; it helps to have the character of a fighter, of someone who doesn’t know the meaning of the words “giving up.”

But this is an important development for her and for people like her. It may enable doctors to treat those who suffer from this disease better and more effectively in the coming years. Also; it may finally convince people mentioned above that ME is a serious disease, which ruins lives.