Burden of Disease in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): A Scoping Review.

IF 3.3 4区医学 Q1 ECONOMICS

Applied Health Economics and Health Policy Pub Date : 2025-09-23 DOI:10.1007/s40258-025-01006-2

Patricia Vester, Stefanos Boudouroglou-Walter, Jonas Schreyögg, Chantal Wieting, Christine Blome

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

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.

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肌痛性脑脊髓炎/慢性疲劳综合征（ME/CFS）的疾病负担：范围综述

目的：肌痛性脑脊髓炎/慢性疲劳综合征（Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, ME/CFS）是一种以运动后不适、疲劳、认知障碍和疼痛等症状为特征的严重慢性复杂多系统疾病。诊断基于国际共识标准，目前尚无治愈性治疗。在美国，其在成年人中的患病率估计为0.42%，其中女性的发病率是男性的三倍。由于COVID-19大流行，预计患病率将增加。除了其严重的症状外，ME/CFS还具有重大的经济影响。这项范围审查旨在系统地审查ME/CFS的全球健康、社会和经济负担。方法：我们按照系统评价的首选报告项目和范围评价的元分析扩展（PRISMA-ScR）指南在六个数据库中进行了系统的文献检索，并辅以引文检索。我们使用改良版的混合方法评估工具来评估研究质量。结果：我们纳入了20项研究，将成本（n = 16）、残疾调整生命年（DALYs）（n = 3）、就业率（n = 1）和入学率（n = 1）作为疾病负担的指标。每位患者报告的费用从2,916美元到119,611美元不等，其中间接费用占最大比例。美国报告的DALYs从2016年的714万到2022年的577万不等。结论：ME/CFS造成了巨大的健康、社会和经济负担。估计的差异可能是由于研究样本、方法、成本组成部分和医疗保健系统的差异。由于假定ME/CFS未得到充分诊断，其真正负担可能更高。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Applied Health Economics and Health Policy Economics, Econometrics and Finance-Economics and Econometrics

CiteScore

6.10

自引率

2.80%

发文量

期刊介绍： Applied Health Economics and Health Policy provides timely publication of cutting-edge research and expert opinion from this increasingly important field, making it a vital resource for payers, providers and researchers alike. The journal includes high quality economic research and reviews of all aspects of healthcare from various perspectives and countries, designed to communicate the latest applied information in health economics and health policy. While emphasis is placed on information with practical applications, a strong basis of underlying scientific rigor is maintained.