How doctors are failing to spot the brain injury that could be behind 30,000 cases of 'chronic fatigue'

Patients misdiagnosed with CFS when they have brain damage Post-traumatic hypopituitarism (PTHP) is often cause by head injury Symptoms include depression, obesity, fatigue and chronic pain

By Joanna Lane

Published: 16:00 EST, 17 May 2014 | Updated: 16:01 EST, 17 May 2014

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Thousands of British patients suffering from chronic pain and fatigue could be misdiagnosed with psychological problems when they unknowingly have a type of brain damage.

Those people who complain of the symptoms are not given a series of blood tests that can pinpoint the problem, meaning the true cause is not spotted. Patients are then condemned to years of misery and ineffective therapies.

The major cause of the damage is head injury, which can be relatively mild. However, viruses, tumours and even animal bites can be a trigger.

Christine Wrighton, who died in 2011, was incorrectly diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome when in fact she was suffering from a brain damage called hypopituitarism

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How doctors are failing to spot the brain injury that could be behind 30,000 cases of 'chronic fatigue'