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MP Tessa Munt has tabled a debate on ME/CFS in […]

Shahbaz et al. find that female long COVID patients with ME/CFS exhibit heightened inflammation, altered hematopoiesis, disrupted hormone levels, and neuroinflammatory gene signatures. In parallel, our study identifies sex-specific immune and hormonal biomarkers that correlate with clinical symptoms, supporting the need for tailored therapeutic strategies, including consideration of hormone replacement therapy.

Presenter: Dr Daniel Missailidis, PhD Dr Daniel Missailidis is a postdoctoral research fellow and molecular biologist at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. Daniel has researched ME since 2016 and completed his PhD in 2021, having published 11 research papers on ME or Long COVID to date.

What illness can teach us about responding to climate change

YouTube video by Long Covid Kids

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Open Panel Discussion Chaired by Professor Andrew Wilson, UEA, UK More at https://investinme.org/iimec17-andrewwilson.shtml

Find out how you can contribute to our 2025 Big Survey - a vital research project aiming to illustrate the impact of ME and long Covid.

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Research could offer hope for ME patients – but some experts urge caution and say more studies needed

Objective Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a serious chronic and complex multi-system disease characterised by symptoms such as post-exertional malaise, fatigue, cognitive impairment and pain. Diagnosis is based on international consensus criteria, and no curative treatment is available. In the USA, its prevalence is estimated at 0.42% among adults, with women affected three times as often as men. Prevalence is expected to increase due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to its severe symptoms, ME/CFS has a substantial economic impact. This scoping review aimed to systematically examine the global health, social and economic burden of ME/CFS. Methods We conducted a systematic literature search following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines in six databases and supplemented it with a citation search. We assessed study quality using a modified version of the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Results We included 20 studies that assessed costs (n = 16), disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) (n = 3), employment rates (n = 1), and school attendance (n = 1) as indicators of disease burden. Reported costs per patient ranged from USD 2,916 to USD 119,611, with indirect costs accounting for the largest proportion. DALYs reported for the USA ranged from 0.714 million in 2016 to 5.77 million in 2022. Conclusion ME/CFS imposes a substantial health, social and economic burden of disease. Discrepancies in estimates are probably due to differences in study samples, methodologies, cost components, and healthcare systems. Because ME/CFS is assumed to be underdiagnosed, its true burden may be even higher.