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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Statistics

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that pretty much everybody has at least heard of. The same goes for AIDS. If you were to ask someone what chronic fatigue syndrome is, however, odds are that you will draw a blank stare. What's astounding about this fact is that more people are affected by chronic fatigue syndrome than AIDS or multiple sclerosis. In this article, we'll attempt to demystify chronic fatigue syndrome by giving you some hard numbers that will help to clearly illustrate exactly how prevalent the problem is in our modern-day society.

One study conducted by the United States Center for Disease Control in conjunction with DePaul University showed that over one million Americans are likely to be affected with a case of chronic fatigue syndrome. Unfortunately, many of these people fail to realize that they have a problem because chronic fatigue syndrome does not leave many noticeable symptoms. For that reason, the researchers conducting the study concluded that eighty to ninety percent of all sufferers of chronic fatigue syndrome will go undiagnosed and untreated.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a problem that affects the human race universally, with men, women, children and adults of all ages and races experiencing the problem. Minorities tend to be more affected by the problem, however, with Latinos being the most likely racial group to be diagnosed with a case of chronic fatigue syndrome. One interesting statistic regarding the syndrome is that it tends to occur more in women than it does in men, with approximately one male being affected per every four females. A woman is also as much as four times as likely to become afflicted with chronic fatigue syndrome then she is AIDS.

Since we only clinically addressed chronic fatigue syndrome as a problem in the year 1988, we're still rather in the dark when it comes to how to diagnose it and how to treat it. Some people find relief from their problem by combining medical treatments as well as lifestyle changes and therapy. A study conducted on those who were diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome found that only approximately thirty percent of all of the patients with the syndrome found any relief from their symptoms after as much as five years. Approximately forty eight percent of all patients will experience lessened problems with chronic fatigue syndrome within ten years of being diagnosed.

In addition to the problems that individuals experience from chronic fatigue syndrome, it is also costly to the economy. As much as nine billion dollars per year is reported in lost productivity due to cases of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Now that you know a little more about just how common chronic fatigue syndrome is, you can understand the severity of the problem. If you think that there is a chance that you may be experiencing chronic fatigue syndrome, you should speak to a doctor, as many cases of the syndrome go undiagnosed. You're better safe than sorry, and although there is no cure for the syndrome yet, there are some options that you have when it comes to lessening the symptoms that you are experiencing.