ME/CFS MEDICAL CENTER (the Netherlands & France, also takes patients from other countries using video consultations) (2025)

FAQs

What is the prevalence of me CFS in Europe? ›

Overall, as expected [20], studies on prevalence and incidence of ME/CFS in Europe were scarce. Among the included studies in adults using the CDC−1994 case definition, prevalence estimates ranged from 0.2% [26] to 2.2% [13]. Previous systematic reviews found a similar range of prevalence estimates in other continents.

ME/CFS is most common in people between the ages of 40-60 years. ME/CFS is more common in adolescents than young children. People of all income levels can get ME/CFS. Between 836,000 to 3.3 million people in U.S. have ME/CFS.

According to the CDC , 836,000 to 2.5 million Americans have ME/CFS.

The prevalence of myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome is estimated at 17-24 million worldwide. According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) during 2021–2022, 1.3% of adults in the United States had ME/CFS.

Studies have shown that, on average, 5% of individuals suffering from CFS make a full recovery and almost 40% improve over time. Around 8% to 30% of sufferers find their condition improves enough for them to be able to return to the workplace. However, 5% to 20% find their symptoms become worse over time.

MG is estimated to affect more than 700,000 people worldwide [1]. European studies reported incidence rates between 0.63 and 2.9 per 100,000 person-years and prevalence rates between 11.17 and 36.1 per 100,000 persons [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9].

The term myalgic encephalomyelitis has also been criticised, as the symptom myalgia (muscle pain) is not experienced by everyone with the disease. Additionally, before ME/CFS was considered a biological condition, the name ME was seen as reinforcing the illness as it “legitimised” patient's symptoms.

Brain scans during one task found that those with PI-ME/CFS had lower activity in a brain region called the temporoparietal junction. These findings suggest that the fatigue of those with PI-ME/CFS might be caused by dysfunction in the way the brain decides how to exert effort.

Examining illness severity, explaining how ME/CFS is officially recognised as a neurological disease and disability, and providing a useful disability rating scale that can help you explain your disability to others.

The new test uses artificial intelligence to analyze vibrations in a single blood cell caused by a laser. The technology used is called Raman spectroscopy, which can “interrogate individual cells,” the authors wrote.

What is the life expectancy of someone with ME CFS? ›

It should be noted that individuals with ME and CFS are reportedly dying at a younger age compared to the overall population. However, only all-cause and cardiovascular-related mortality reached statistical significance. The all-cause mean age of death for this sample was 55.9 years.

Genetics plus environmental triggers are believed to cause ME/CFS. It runs in families, but not in the predictable patterns of a truly inherited disease. Having a relative with ME/CFS means you are at greater risk for it, not that you will definitely go on to develop it.

ONS data has revealed that 88 deaths between 2001 and 2016, and 62 deaths between 2017 and 2021, were partly or fully attributable to ME/CFS. This is a significant increase in the rate of deaths (an increase from 5.5 deaths per year to 12.4 deaths per year) in the 2 respective periods.

It is possible ME/CFS is caused by changes in a person's immune system or how it responds to infection or stress. ME/CFS shares some features of autoimmune illnesses. In these types of diseases, the immune system attacks the body's healthy tissues.

Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a long term (chronic) neurological condition that affects the nervous and immune systems. People with ME/CFS experience severe pain and fatigue associated with post-exertional malaise (PEM).

The prevalence in the United States is approximately 30 cases per million and in Europe it is approximately 1.4 cases per million (but the rate varies widely between countries).

In Europe, the average prevalence at birth is 1/5,000; the average prevalence in the general population is 1/9,000.

Chronic morbidity: long-standing illnesses or health problems. In 2022, 36.1% of the EU population aged 16 years or over reported having a long-standing illness or health problem.

Report to the Chief Medical Officer by an Independent Working Group on ME/CFS. The report estimated (section 1.4. 2 Epidemiology) 0.2 – 0.4% of the population (i.e., that 2 – 4 people in every 1,000) could have ME/CFS.