Multisysteemziekte: Voor zowel huisarts als patiënt gaat de vaak ongrijpbare ziekte ME vaak gepaard met een moeizame zoektocht. Huisarts Jojanneke Kant en haar patiënt Sophie Smeets vertellen over het...

Am 12. Mai ist der Internationale ME/CFS Tag. Dieser Tag soll auf die schwere Krankheit und die Situation der Betroffenen aufmerksam machen und Bewusstsein schaffen. Denn obwohl ME/CFS seit 1969 von der WHO als neurologische Erkrankung unter G93.3 klassifiziert ist, ist die Situation der Betroffenen äußerst schwierig: Es fehlt an Aufklärung, medizinischer Versorgung, sozialer Absicherung und […]

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.

Der Bericht zeigt Anliegen und Beschwerden, die im Jahr 2024 an die Wiener Pflege- und Patient*innenanwaltschaft herangetragen wurden.