Case study summary:

This chapter discusses the case of a 25 years old woman, Melissa, who was diagnosed with moderate chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalopathy (CFS/ME).

Melissa’s symptoms include headaches, eye pain, muscle and joint pain, poor sleep and concentration, sensitivity to light, palpitations and dizzy spells. Melissa was experiencing stomach pain, nausea and diarrhoea and as a result eliminated lactose and gluten from her diet, resulting in an improvement in the stomach pain and diarrhoea but not the nausea.

Melissa has been referred due to poor nutritional intake, reduced appetite and recent weight loss of 4 kg. The referral also states Melissa takes a combination of vitamins in large doses including magnesium and coenzyme Q10.

Melissa is prescribed a low dose of amitriptyline. The questions raised in this chapter include queries regarding the nutrition and dietetic diagnosis, special diets for CFS/ME, aim and objectives of the dietary intervention, and diagnosis of coeliac disease.

Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalopathy, by Caroline Foster and Jennifer McIntosh in Dietetic and Nutrition Case Studies March 5, 2016