Vester et al. 2026 - Burden of Disease in ME/CFS Scoping Review

Full Citation:: Vester P, Boudouroglou-Walter S, Schreyögg J, Wieting C, Blome C. Burden of Disease in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): A Scoping Review. Applied Health Economics and Health Policy. 2026;24(1):147-161. (Vester et al. 2026) DOI:: 10.1007/s40258-025-01006-2 PMID:: 40986167 Study Design:: Systematic scoping review (PRISMA-ScR), 6 databases Sample Size:: 20 studies included Key Findings::

- Costs per patient: $ 2,916-$ 119,611 USD
- Indirect costs (lost productivity) dominate
- DALYs for US: 0.714 million (2016) to 5.77 million (2022)
- Employment rates and school attendance severely impacted

Conclusion:: ME/CFS imposes substantial economic and social burden; underdiagnosis suggests true burden may be higher. Limitations:: Scoping review, not meta-analysis; heterogeneous cost components across studies. Certainty:: 0.70

References

Vester, Patricia, Stefanos Boudouroglou-Walter, Jonas Schreyögg, Chantal Wieting, and Christine Blome. 2026. “Burden of Disease in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): A Scoping Review.” Applied Health Economics and Health Policy 24 (1): 147–61. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40258-025-01006-2.