Always Tired? Scientists Discover the Hidden Cause

Why Do You Feel Tired All the Time — Even After Sleep?

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), affects up to half a percent of the population. The name says it all — those with CFS experience constant exhaustion, struggle with sleep, and find it difficult to focus.

Sonya Chowdhury from the UK’s DecodeME genetic research program told The Guardian that despite scientific evidence, many doctors still dismiss CFS. “We know many people who have been told ‘ME doesn’t exist.’ Patients visited doctors who didn’t believe them or claimed it wasn’t a real disease.” But thanks to DecodeME’s findings, that may change. British researchers have identified genes linked to the development of CFS.

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What Does Your DNA Hide — and How Does It Influence Fatigue?

DecodeME began three years ago as the largest genetic study ever conducted on CFS. Researchers from multiple UK universities and institutions, alongside patients and their families, analyzed DNA samples from 27,000 people living with the condition.

After extensive testing, the team found several gene variants that appear to increase the likelihood of developing ME. Professor Chris Ponting told The Guardian that these findings should be a wake-up call: possessing “unlucky genes” may determine whether someone develops CFS or not.

Why This Discovery Matters

The breakthrough could finally legitimize CFS in the eyes of skeptical doctors. Identifying genetic markers also allows patients to prepare for the disease and its complications. And those can be severe: people with CFS often cannot study or hold full-time jobs. According to the UK government, chronic fatigue costs the British economy up to £3 billion annually. In Poland, insufficient sleep among workers is estimated to cost 9 billion złoty each year.

A Disease Many Doctors Once Denied

DecodeME representatives stress the importance of their findings. “These results are groundbreaking,” said Sonya Chowdhury. “Thanks to DecodeME we’ve gone from near-total ignorance about the causes of ME/CFS to identifying precise genetic targets for research. This puts ME/CFS alongside other chronic diseases with a genetic basis. We’re pointing scientists to eight areas of DNA, enabling highly focused studies. We hope this will attract researchers, drug developers, and proportional funding to accelerate effective therapies.”

Currently, no cure exists for CFS. DecodeME will continue exploring its genetic roots. One unresolved puzzle: CFS is diagnosed four times more often in women than in men. For now, science has no answer why.

Read the original article: Jesteś ciągle zmęczony? Naukowcy odkryli ukryty powód