Scientists such as Stanford researcher Jose Montoya, MD, are working to understand more about chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a complex and mysterious disorder characterized by persistent, extreme fatigue accompanied by a range of additional symptoms. Montoya's work was highlighted in a recent Wall Street Journal article on the disease:
Dr. Montoya's team enrolled 30 patients with elevated levels of antibodies against Epstein-Barr virus and HHV-6, a herpes virus, in a trial and treated them with valganciclovir, an anti-viral medicine. Dr. Montoya says patients on the drug showed improvement in cognition and fatigue. Researchers are now analyzing the patients' immune proteins to see if there are patterns that will help doctors figure out in advance who will and won't respond to therapy.
In the above Stanford Hospital video, Montoya discusses the typical clinical course for CFS patients, potential causes of the illness and current research on the disorder.
