In Debate Over CFS, Patients Clash With Scientists - XMRV - WSJ.com

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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704008704575639193973468402.html

was working as a coal miner in Utah in 1982 when he got

the flu and " it didn't go away. " Diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome

in 1994, he has been living ever since with symptoms that include

constant pain, an inability to concentrate and exhaustion so severe, he

can't lift his arms.

Worse than his condition, Mr. says, has been the humiliation and

ostracism he's suffered from the scientific establishment, which he

accuses of ignoring or downplaying the existence of the disease for the

past 25 years.

Now, after a 2009 study claimed to find a link between chronic fatigue

syndrome and a virus called XMRV, the 52-year-old has become a leader in

patient efforts to push scientists to finally solve the mystery of his

disease. He's attending scientific conferences, organized patient

meetings with government officials and helped mastermind an advocacy

campaign...

The two viewpoints show the gaping divide between many chronic fatigue

syndrome patients and scientists studying the disease. Although research

linking XMRV and a family of retroviruses to CFS is still preliminary,

an emotional debate has exploded over whether the finding is correct....

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