Abstract
Background: Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a long-term disabling illness accompanied by fatigue unsolved by rest. However, ME/CFS is a poorly understood illness that lacks a universally accepted pathophysiology and treatment. A lack of CFS-related studies have been conducted in Asian countries. This study aimed to estimate and compare the prevalence of ME/CFS in Korea and Japan and conducted a meta-analysis. Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, and KMBASE for population-based prevalence studies of the two countries and synthesized the data according to the Fukuda case definition. Results: Of the eight studies (five in Korea, three in Japan) included, the total prevalence rate of Korean studies was 0.77% (95% CI 0.34–1.76), and 0.76% (95% CI 0.46–1.25) for the Japanese studies. The prevalence rate in females was approximately two-fold higher than males in Korean studies (1.31% female vs. 0.60% male), while the gender difference was less obvious in Japanese studies (0.76% female vs. 0.65% male). Conclusions: Further epidemiology studies on the female ME/CFS prevalence rate between countries may be required.
Highlights
Academic Editors: Giovanni Ricevuti and Lorenzo LorussoReceived: 25 June 2021Accepted: 19 July 2021Published: 21 July 2021Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Fatigue is a common complaint in both the general population and people with disorders [1]
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From the results of the meta-analysis, the overall prevalence rate of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in the Korean studies was 0.77%, being slightly higher than the 0.76% reported in the Japanese studies (Figure 2)
Summary
Academic Editors: Giovanni Ricevuti and Lorenzo LorussoReceived: 25 June 2021Accepted: 19 July 2021Published: 21 July 2021Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Fatigue is a common complaint in both the general population and people with disorders [1]. Fatigue generally disappears after rest or treatment; uncontrolled chronic fatigue, when lacking a medical explanation, substantially impairs health-related quality of life [2]. Among fatigue-related disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is the most debilitating, resulting in unemployment in half of the affected patients and a seven-fold higher risk of suicide compared to healthy subjects [3]. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) in the U.S. Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a longterm disabling illness accompanied by fatigue unsolved by rest. A lack of CFS-related studies have been conducted in Asian countries. This study aimed to estimate and compare the prevalence of ME/CFS in Korea and Japan and conducted a meta-analysis. Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, and KMBASE for population-based prevalence studies of the two countries and synthesized the data according to the Fukuda case definition. Results: Of the eight studies (five in Korea, three in Japan) included, the total prevalence rate of Korean studies was
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