SUFFERERS of the debilitating illness ME are being let down because there is not enough research into treatment of the disease, according to a review of studies carried out in York.

A team at the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD) at the University of York carried out a systematic review of studies into the treatment of ME, and found that the quality and quantity of research into treatment was "poor" because efforts were being focused on the cause of the disease.

The North Yorkshire mother of an ME sufferer who killed herself after battling against the disease and depression for ten years has welcomed the calls for more funding.

But Sheila Barry, from Huby, whose daughter, Carli, died in York last year, said finding the cause was vital because it would determine the treatment.

She said: "What we really need is money to actually find the cause of it. Unless the actual cause is found we can put all sorts of money into treatment, but it may be the wrong treatment.

"I have a feeling that the people who are ill with it might not get better, but we might prevent other people getting it."

According to the research team, there is inconclusive evidence that drug or supplement treatments work, and that the most positive results come from Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Graded Exercise Therapy (GET). This may involve establishing a normal sleep pattern, keeping a diary of symptoms to discover when and why they are more acute, and resuming social activity where possible, as well as conducting regular aerobic exercises such as walking or swimming, said the team.

However, according to a spokes-man for the ME Association, these simple measures are controversial because some sufferers have found they exacerbate the symptoms rather than relieve them.

Dr Anne-Marie Bagnall, one of the authors of the research, said that CBT and GET need to be carried out under the supervision of trained specialists, but not enough people were trained in the techniques.

Dr Bagnall said: "We can't really say that the drugs don't work - we don't have enough evidence to say that they do work or not.

"The quality and quantity of research is so poor, people are concentrating on looking at the causes rather than the treatment.

"People are already doing research looking at the causes. There's plenty of that going on. We would say we need more research looking at the treatment and management, but you could say that you are more likely to find a treatment if you know the cause."

There are also gaps in current research because bed or wheelchair-restricted patients are not included in some studies, and the findings cannot be applied to all sufferers.

Updated: 11:32 Friday, May 24, 2002