Change of tune at the British Medical Journal?

The following notive was posted 21st August 2004 at the website of the M.E. Association, UK:

The British Medical Journal does not normally show any interest in research which supports a physical cause for ME/CFS.

However, in the BMJ this week (20 August 2004), the journal does refer to some interesting new findings relating to neutrophil apoptosis (= increased cell death involving a particular type of white blood cell) that was reported in the Journal of Clinical Pathology (2004; 57: 891 - 893).

The BMJ goes on to conclude: 'Evidence is emerging that people with chronic fatigue syndrome may have a detectable immunological abnormality'.

Dr Charles Shepherd, medical adviser to The ME Association, comments: "The BMJ may be 15 years behind the rest of us in coming to this conclusion - but better late than never! We look forward to further developments in their editorial policy which will result in closer attention being paid to research into the physical nature of ME/CFS and its causes."

More at:
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/329/7463/468?eaf