ME/CFS is a complex illness and has been misunderstood by doctors and scientists worldwide. As we move forward and learn about ME/CFS there are some important key facts Emerge Australia wants to share.
- ME/CFS affects up to an estimated
ME/CFS is a complex illness and has been misunderstood by doctors and scientists worldwide. As we move forward and learn about ME/CFS there are some important key facts Emerge Australia wants to share.
- ME/CFS affects up to an estimated 1% of people worldwide. This means up to 250,000 Australians live with the disease.
- ME/CFS affects people of all ages, genders and socioeconomic backgrounds.
- Approximately 75% of people with ME/CFS are women.
- Approximately 25% of people with ME/CFS are so severely impacted that they are housebound or bedbound. Even a mild case of ME/CFS is debilitating, resulting in 50% reduction in physical capacity compared with before they got sick.
For most people, ME/CFS is a lifelong condition, as full recovery (return to pre-illness functioning) is rare: less than 10%.
The key feature of ME/CFS is post-exertional malaise (PEM: pronounced “pem”, not “P.E.M.”). PEM is when all symptoms are exacerbated after physical or mental activity. It means symptoms like pain, sleep disturbance, cognitive problems, flu-like symptoms, muscle weakness all get worse. PEM can be triggered by low levels of exertion. PEM can take days or weeks to resolve. It c