Scientists find link between genes and ME/chronic fatigue syndrome

Large study suggests people's genetics could tip the balance' on whether they would develop the illness

Scientists have found the first robust evidence that people's genes affect their chances of developing myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a mysterious and debilitating illness that has been neglected and dismissed for decades by many in the medical community.

Early findings from the world's largest study into the genetics of the condition pinpointed eight regions of the human genome that were substantially different in people with an ME/CFS diagnosis compared to those without the illness.