Sufferers of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are set to benefit with the dual launch of aspecialist Griffith University clinic and smartphone app, both aimed to manage theirillness and improve health outcomes.
Otherwise known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), CFS is a highly debilitatingdisorder characterised by profound fatigue, muscle and joint pain, cerebral symptoms ofimpaired memory and concentration, impaired cardiovascular function, gut disorder andsensory dysfunction such as noise intolerance and balance disturbance. Many cases cancontinue for months or years. It is believed to affect around 460,000 Australians.
Launched July 29 by theHonourable Ian Walker MP
The new CFS/ME specialised Clinic — set to be launched Tuesday July 29 by theHonourable Ian Walker MP – is based within the Griffith Health Centre and will work inconjunction with patients’ existing GPs to provide individualised care to patients.
The Griffith Health Centre is home to the National Centre for Neuroimmunology andEmerging Diseases (NCNED), which is dedicated to research on the interactionbetween the nervous system and the immune system and is led by one of Australia’sforemost authorities on CFS, Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik.
“We now have the capacity, not only for advanced research but also the potential toprovide a clinical service to people who have been unable to find appropriate care in thepast,” says Professor Marshall-Gradisnik.
“Our research is leading the way internationally to uncover the causes of this illnessbased on our unique immunological discoveries.”
Meanwhile, the NCNED is also launching an app to further improve management of thecondition for both the clinician and the patient.
The first app of its kind, CliniHelp is available from the App Store and will help userstrack their symptoms on a weekly basis, as well as monitor changes in their condition andshare information with their physician.
“A major advantage of CliniHelp is that it will allow physicians to be more informed of theirpatients’ symptoms when cognition can be a major impediment for patients with CFS,”says Professor Marshall-Gradisnik.
The dedicated CFS/ME Specialised Clinic at the National Centre for Neuroimmunologyand Emerging Diseases will receive patients in October 2014.