Prevalence of myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome

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The prevalence of myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome is estimated at 17-24 million worldwide.[1]

According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) during 2021–2022, 1.3% of adults in the United States had ME/CFS.[2] This corresponds to about 3.35 million adults or 4.3 million people when extrapolating the number to include minors.

In 2015, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report from the United States National Academy of Sciences estimated there were between 836,000 and 2.5 million patients in the U.S.[3] A 2018 study based on insurance claims gave "a rough estimate for the number of patients who may be diagnosed with ME or CFS in the U.S." as between 1.7 million and 3.38 million.[4] Via a machine learning model, the same study predicted the prevalence of ME in the U.S. as roughly 2.8 million (857 out of every 100,000 people).[4]

The IOM Report estimated that between 84% and 91% of patients are not diagnosed.[5][6]

Prevalence of ME/CFS[edit | edit source]

Country Prevalence Population % Year & Reference
Worldwide 17,000,000
Australia 100,000
Canada 561,000 1.9%
Germany 300,000 0.37%
Japan 958,000 0.76% 2021[7]
Korea 399,000 0.77% 2021[7]
New Zealand 20,000 0.45%
Nigeria 0.68%
England and Wales 250,000 0.4%
United States 4,300,000 1.3% 2022[2]

Notable studies[edit | edit source]

  • 2011, CFS Prevalence and Risk Factors Over Time[8] (Full Text)
  • 2015, Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Redefining an Illness[9] (Full Text)
  • 2018, Prevalence and incidence of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome in Europe-the Euro-epiME study from the European network EUROMENE: a protocol for a systematic review.[10] (Full text)
  • 2018, Estimating Prevalence, Demographics, and Costs of ME/CFS Using Large Scale Medical Claims Data and Machine Learning[4] (Full text)
  • 2020, Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME)[11]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "How Many People Have ME/CFS? – American ME and CFS Society". Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Adults: United States, 2021–2022" (PDF). Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Redefining and Illness - Report Brief" (PDF). nataionalacademies.org. 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Valdez, Ashley R.; Hancock, Elizabeth E.; Adebayo, Seyi; Kiernicki, David J.; Proskauer, Daniel; Attewell, John R.; Bateman, Lucinda; DeMaria, Alfred; Lapp, Charles W.; Rowe, Peter C.; Proskauer, Charmian (January 8, 2019). "Estimating Prevalence, Demographics, and Costs of ME/CFS Using Large Scale Medical Claims Data and Machine Learning". Frontiers in Pediatrics. 6. doi:10.3389/fped.2018.00412. ISSN 2296-2360.
  5. ↑ "What is ME/CFS? | Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. January 18, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Key Facts" (PDF). nationalacademies.org. National Academies of Medicine. 2015.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lim, Eun-Jin; Son, Chang-Gue (July 21, 2021). "Prevalence of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) in Korea and Japan: A Meta-Analysis". Journal of Clinical Medicine. 10 (15): 3204. doi:10.3390/jcm10153204. ISSN 2077-0383. PMC 8347596. PMID 34361987.
  8. ↑ Jason, L. A., Porter, N., Hunnell, J., Rademaker, A., & Richman, J.A. (2011). CFS Prevalence and Risk Factors Over Time. Journal of Health Psychology, 16(3), 445–456. http://doi.org/10.1177/1359105310383603
  9. ↑ "Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Redefining an Illness" (PDF). National Academies. 2015.
  10. ↑ Murovska, Modra; Lacerda, Eliana; Sekulic, Slobodan; Capelli, Enrica; Lorusso, Lorenzo; Shikova, Evelina; Scheibenbogen, Carmen; Alegre, Jose; Pheby, Derek (September 1, 2018). "Prevalence and incidence of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome in Europe—the Euro-epiME study from the European network EUROMENE: a protocol for a systematic review". BMJ Open. 8 (9): e020817. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020817. ISSN 2044-6055. PMID 30181183.
  11. ↑ Lim EJ, Ahn YC, Jang ES, Lee SW, Lee SH, Son CG (February 2020). "Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME)". Journal of Translational Medicine. 18 (1): 100. doi:10.1186/s12967-020-02269-0. PMC 7038594. PMID 32093722.

Institute of Medicine report (IOM report) - A report that was commissioned by the U.S. government and was published by the Institute of Medicine on February 10, 2015. The report was titled "Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Redefining an Illness" and proposed the term Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease (SEID). Among its key findings were that "This disease is characterized by profound fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, sleep abnormalities, autonomic manifestations, pain, and other symptoms that are made worse by exertion of any sort." The report further stated "Between 836,000 and 2.5 million Americans suffer from myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome."

myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.) - A disease often marked by neurological symptoms, but fatigue is sometimes a symptom as well. Some diagnostic criteria distinguish it from chronic fatigue syndrome, while other diagnostic criteria consider it to be a synonym for chronic fatigue syndrome. A defining characteristic of ME is post-exertional malaise (PEM), or post-exertional neuroimmune exhaustion (PENE), which is a notable exacerbation of symptoms brought on by small exertions. PEM can last for days or weeks. Symptoms can include cognitive impairments, muscle pain (myalgia), trouble remaining upright (orthostatic intolerance), sleep abnormalities, and gastro-intestinal impairments, among others. An estimated 25% of those suffering from ME are housebound or bedbound. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies ME as a neurological disease.

See ME/CFS.

The BMJ (previously the British Medical Journal) is a weekly peer-reviewed medical journal.

BMJ The BMJ (previously the British Medical Journal) is a weekly peer-reviewed medical journal.

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