Last week, a federal advisory panel in the US recommended changing the name of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) to CFS-ME. The new suffix, depending on your preference, can stand for myalgic encephalopathy or myalgic encephalomyelitis. The move is still somewhat controversial, since the ME denotes inflammation in the brain and spinal cord, and there is yet to be any solid evidence linking CFS to pathology of the nervous system. Regardless, many patients and doctors find the current nomenclature trivializing.

“If it has a more scientific name, we might receive more funding than if it has a name that sounds just like you need to take a nap,” says panelist Susan Levine, according to MedPageToday.

There’s a historical precedent for disease (and gene) names stirring controversy, whether it’s syphilis in the Renaissance or last year’s dust-up over swine flu.

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