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YouTube video by ZDF MAGAZIN ROYALE

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.

Patients with long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) suffer from a reduced exercise capacity, skeletal muscle abnormalities and post-exertional malaise (PEM), where...

Mount Sinai study suggests COVID-19 infection should be considered a risk factor for future cardiopulmonary conditions

Background There have already been indications in the past that patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) are largely dissatisfied with the German healthcare and social...

Menschen, die wegen einer Covid-Infektion oder anderer Ursachen an ME/CFS leiden, müssen schier unüberwindbare Hürden meistern, um überhaupt eine IV-Rente beantragen zu können. Das ist die Geschichte ...