Simon
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Maybe this has been discussed before, and perhaps I'm being a bit slow on the uptake, but I did wonder if mecfs is in fact not only very disabling, but also the most common such illness in the 'prime' of life (at least in women).
What do people think?
I know mecfs is supposed to be the most common cause of long-term school absence in the UK (does anyone have a source for that)? I got ill in my early thirties, which isn't great, but at least I'd had the chance to live a bit first and have always thought that getting mecfs in your teens, as many do, is the worst time. Not only does it hurt your educational chances but those are such key years for social development, never mind enjoying yourself.
This graph of new cases from a large Norwegian study (discussed on this thread) highlights the relatively young age at which people get ill with mecfs:
[Figure 1 from: Two age peaks in the incidence of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: a population-based registry study from Norway 2008-2012]
Given that 30s/40s are also supposed to be the 'prime of life' that makes mecfs an illness that robs you of your best years.
What other diseases do this?
I don't want to start of a Beauty contest for which is the 'worst' illness but my understanding is that most other major common illnesses such as cancers and rheumatoid arthritis become more common as people get older. And some such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's are fairly rare until 60+.
Motor Neurone Disease is a horrendous example of a prime of life illness, though that is very rare. Multiple Sclerosis is similar in age profile to adult mecfs, I think, and reasonably common (half the prevalence of mecfs?) though neither of these two are common in adolescence.
Of course, I might just be displaying my ignorance of other illnesses here so thought I'd consult with the smart crowd...
If it does turn out that mecfs is (one of) the most common disabling illness(es) in the prime of life, perhaps we can make more of it when trying to persuade others to take this illness seriously.
What do people think?
I know mecfs is supposed to be the most common cause of long-term school absence in the UK (does anyone have a source for that)? I got ill in my early thirties, which isn't great, but at least I'd had the chance to live a bit first and have always thought that getting mecfs in your teens, as many do, is the worst time. Not only does it hurt your educational chances but those are such key years for social development, never mind enjoying yourself.
This graph of new cases from a large Norwegian study (discussed on this thread) highlights the relatively young age at which people get ill with mecfs:
[Figure 1 from: Two age peaks in the incidence of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: a population-based registry study from Norway 2008-2012]
Given that 30s/40s are also supposed to be the 'prime of life' that makes mecfs an illness that robs you of your best years.
What other diseases do this?
I don't want to start of a Beauty contest for which is the 'worst' illness but my understanding is that most other major common illnesses such as cancers and rheumatoid arthritis become more common as people get older. And some such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's are fairly rare until 60+.
Motor Neurone Disease is a horrendous example of a prime of life illness, though that is very rare. Multiple Sclerosis is similar in age profile to adult mecfs, I think, and reasonably common (half the prevalence of mecfs?) though neither of these two are common in adolescence.
Of course, I might just be displaying my ignorance of other illnesses here so thought I'd consult with the smart crowd...
If it does turn out that mecfs is (one of) the most common disabling illness(es) in the prime of life, perhaps we can make more of it when trying to persuade others to take this illness seriously.