“CFS/ME places a substantial burden on people with the condition, their families and carers, and hence on society.” Even the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the clinical guideline for ME/CFS, state:.A 2017 analysis of the economic cost of ME/CFS, carried out by 2020 Health, has produced a very similar figure.An academic study carried out at Sheffield Hallam University and published in 1996, estimated that the annual economic cost of ME/CFS to the nation in relation to lost income, benefits and health costs was around £3.5 billion (Bibby and Kershaw 1996).The 2002 report to the Chief Medical Officer (CFS/ME Working Group 2002 section 12) reinforced the serious and debilitating nature of ME/CFS.The Department of Health officially recognises ME/CFS to be a ‘debilitating and distressing condition’ and more recently ‘recognises CFS/ME as a neurological condition of unknown origin’.
ME and CFS are also now listed under diseases of the nervous system in SNOMED CT – the electronic classification system used by the NHS. And, although CFS is not classified as a distinct clinical entity, it is indexed to G93.3. The World Health Organisation (2016) classifies ME (and PVFS) as a disease of the central nervous system i.e. Most doctors now accept that ME/CFS and PVFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and post-viral fatigue syndrome) are genuine and disabling illnesses. “The physical symptoms can be as disabling as multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, congestive heart failure and other chronic conditions.” National Institute Health & Care Excellence (NICE) 2007 “ME/CFS is a serious, chronic, complex, and multisystem disease that frequently and dramatically limits the activities of affected patients.” Patients with ME/CFS are neither malingering nor seeking secondary gain. These patients have multiple pathophysiological changes that affect multiple systems.” “ME/CFS is a biological illness , not a psychologic disorder. Please contact head office with name(s) and address details, or for more information and for any bulk orders.
We are pleased to offer a free hard-copy to GPs, NHS consultants and other healthcare professionals in the UK. The guide is also available as a Kindle e-Book!įree copy available for health professionals! To purchase your copy, visit our website shop, or click the image opposite.Medical Adviser to the ME Association and Dr Abhijit Chaudhuri, Consultant Neurologist, from the Essex Centre for Neurosciences. It has been written by Dr Charles Shepherd, Hon.This authoritative publication represents the most comprehensive, evidence-based summary currently available and contains everything that health professionals and patients need to know about this devastating neurological disease.The 11th edition of our clinical and research guide is a must-have for anyone who has been affected by – or has an interest in – ME/CFS/PVFS.The 2019 MEA Clinical and Research Guide.