How many ME/CFS sufferers in Australia?

[Purple]

Does anyone know how many ME/CFS sufferers there are in Australia? I saw 200,000 mentioned on an Australian ME/CFS website but that seems a lot, especially compared to the UK where the figure of 250,000 is often quoted.

(There are nearly 23 million people in Australia and just over 62 million in the UK according to wikipedia, so there is a discrepancy between the two ME/CFS numbers.)

P.S. not sure if this is posted in the right section of the forum

 

[taniaaust1]

I guess there was some stats on that from that big study quite a time ago that the CDC?? did using a part of the Australia population (there was a big Georgia? study and also a big study here). (a CFS population study using the criteria the CDC uses)... I guess that stat may come from that. (my brain cant currently think of what the study was called).

We do have a ME/CFS trigger in parts of Australia in which isnt in other parts of the world (but on the other hand.. we arent said to have lyme here) eg Ross River virus a mossiquo (sorry my spelling) carried virus is in tropical Australia.. 10% of those who get it end up with ME/CFS.

 

[hixxy]

Considering our population, there seems to be quite a large number of Australians on this forum.

 

[heapsreal]

Does anyone know how many ME/CFS sufferers there are in Australia? I saw 200,000 mentioned on an Australian ME/CFS website but that seems a lot, especially compared to the UK where the figure of 250,000 is often quoted.

(There are nearly 23 million people in Australia and just over 62 million in the UK according to wikipedia, so there is a discrepancy between the two ME/CFS numbers.)

P.S. not sure if this is posted in the right section of the forum

It depends if Simon Wessely counted them as this would increase cfs/me numbers from depression groups etc

 

[taniaaust1]

It depends if Simon Wessely counted them as this would increase cfs/me numbers from depression groups etc

Id strongly uspect that UK number to be one quoted by Wessely thou compared to pop for Aust wouldnt make sense.

 

[Alistair]

ME/CFS Australia Patient Adocacy Network (MAPAN) have the officially stated number as measured by the independant agency, the Health Policy Unit, Royal Australian College of Physicians (RACP) 2002, ‘Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Clinical Practice Guidelines 2002’, Medical Journal of Australia (sighted as referance 1) on the Letter to The Hon. Mark Butler MP, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing , (Titled RE: Funding for Research and Treatment for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

The number as at 2002 (11 years ago ) was measured at 180,000 people, " ME/CFS is a severely disabling chronic illness, estimated to affect up to 180,000 Australians.(1).
Refer;

https://www.facebook.com/mecfsapan#!/mecfsapan/info

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/19917060/Letter Mark Butler Patients.pdf

ChangeForMEAustralia have some accurate stats too.
https://www.facebook.com/mecfsapan#!/changeformeaustralia

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/380724_457926120891944_269497536_n.jpg

and

https://www.facebook.com/mecfsapan#...7017853.-2207520000.1346214048&type=1&theater