Byron Hyde

Dr. Byron Marshall Hyde is a Canadian physician known for his interest in myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). His voluminous 1992 publication containing the proceedings of the first global conference on ME is considered by some to be 'the bible of ME'. Hyde strongly favours the notion that ME and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are different medical diagnoses.

Biography

Hyde started out as a geophysicist, and only later studied medicine at the University of Toronto and University of Ottawa. In 1988, he founded the Nightingale Research Foundation, named after Florence Nightingale who is thought to have suffered from ME. This Canadian organization specializes in myalgic encephalomyelitis and related conditions such as enteroviral infections. The foundation claims to have developed the world's largest database on ME/CFS patients and pathology.

Hyde is not a frequent publicist, but he is a regular speaker at ME/CFS conferences all over the world. Hyde is also particularly active in the legal field, providing evidence to support patients' claims. In 2006, Hyde gave expert evidence to the Gibson inquiry into ME/CFS in England.

Definition of ME

In 2007, the Nigtingale foundation published Hyde's definition of ME, based on his preparations for the Gibson inquiry. Here, he clearly distinguishes between ME and CFS:

M.E. is a clearly defined disease process. CFS by definition has always been a syndrome.

According to the Nightingale definition of ME,

Primary M.E. is an acute onset biphasic epidemic or endemic (sporadic) infectious disease process, where there is always a measurable and persistent diffuse vascular injury of the CNS in both the acute and chronic phases. Primary M.E. is associated with immune and other pathologies.

In this definition, Hyde says that if a patient's illness is not measurable on a SPECT scan, then it cannot be ME.

Bibliography

• Hyde BM (1991), "Myalgic encephalomyelitis (chronic fatigue syndrome): an historic perspective", Canadian Diseases Weekly Report, Jan;17 Suppl 1E:5-8, PMID: 1669354
• Hyde BM (ed.) (1992), "The Clinical and Scientific Basis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome", Nightingale Research Foundation, Ottawa, Canada with editorial and conceptual advice from Levine P and Goldstein J, ISBN 0-9695662-0-4.

Thyroid malignancy association with cortical & subcortical brain SPECT changes in patients presenting with a myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome Fonte: Rev. med. nucl. Alasbimn j;10(38), Oct. 2007. ilus.

• Hyde BM (1998), "Are M.E. and CFS Synonymous Terms?", conference paper, New South Wales, February [1]
• Hyde BM, Bergman S (1998), "Akureyri Disease (myalgic encephalomyelitis), forty years later", Letter, Lancet, Nov 19;2(8621):1191-2, PMID: 2903396
• Hyde BM (2003), "The Complexities of Diagnosis", in: Jason LA, Fennel PA, Taylor RR, "Handbook of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome", John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 0-471-41512-X
• Hyde BM (2007), "The Nightingale Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) Definition", The Nightingale Research Foundation, Ottawa, Canada [2]

External links

• Nightingale Research Foundation

References

References: