I costi economici e sociali della sindrome da affaticamento cronico/encefalomielite mialgica: una prima rassegna della letteratura sull'argomento -

[Machine translation] Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) describes a condition of chronic weakness that cannot be alleviated by rest and is associated with a lower quality of life and greater use of healthcare. In Western countries, its prevalence ranges from 0.2 to 1%. Despite the many efforts made in recent decades to investigate the nature of this syndrome, there are still uncertainties and controversies regarding its definition, diagnosis and treatment. Some authors suggest that, due to the difficulty in correctly identifying its symptoms, there may be a significant percentage of patients who have not yet been diagnosed with this pathology. Consequently, the economic burden of the disease is not clear: the costs it causes are mainly linked to the loss of productivity on the part of those who suffer from it. This literature review examines the studies conducted on the subject, initially adopting a chronological perspective. The study highlights how the economic weight of CFS/ME has been gradually and to an ever greater extent taken into account by researchers and mentions the aspects that should deserve greater attention in the near future., Keywords. CFS/ME, diagnosis, economic burden of illness, indirect costs.