Incidence of ME/cfs in a large prospective cohort of U.S nurses

[Dolphin]

ME/CFS is an illness that cycles in intensity, and it is possible that the past diagnosis of ME/CFS was accurate at the time it was made, even if it no longer applied at the time of this survey.

 

[Dolphin]

A limitation:

They did not undergo a physical examination nor laboratory testing to exclude the presence of other causes of fatigue, thus potentially affecting our estimate of the incidence of ME/CFS in this population. That is not because physical examination findings or laboratory tests are required to make the diagnosis of this illness: they are not. Rather, physical examination and laboratory testing may have uncovered another illness that would have precluded the diagnosis of ME/CFS. However, our study participants typically had access to regular medical care and are health professionals themselves.

 

[Dolphin]

Another limitation is the possibility that nurses with ME/CFS could have dropped out of the cohort more frequently than nurses without ME/CFS, reducing our estimate of incidence. However, the NHS cohort overall has very high follow-up rates (response rates over 90% have been achieved at most follow-up cycles), thus reducing this possibility.