Causes of Death Among Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Abstract

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating illness affecting thousands of individuals. At the present time, there are few studies that have investigated causes of death for those with this syndrome. The authors analyzed a memorial list tabulated by the National CFIDS Foundation of 166 deceased individuals who had had CFS. There were approximately three times more women than men on the list. The three most prevalent causes of death were heart failure, suicide, and cancer, which accounted for 59.6% of all deaths. The mean age of those who died from cancer and suicide was 47.8 and 39.3 years, respectively, which is considerably younger than those who died from cancer and suicide in the general population. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Large and small artery endothelial dysfunction in chronic fatigue syndrome

“…We believe this is the first time that vascular endothelial dysfunction has been measured directly in ME/CFS patients, and these findings build on previous work reporting indirect markers of endothelial dysfunction, such as increased oxidative stress [4,10], inflammation [5,11] and arterial stiffness [5]. This evidence collectively points to increased cardiovascular risk in ME/CFS patients, which is borne out epidemiologically by their high mortality due to heart disease [12].…”

Small Wins Matter in Advocacy Movements: Giving Voice to Patients

“…In an attempt to assess CFS-related mortality, Jason et al (2006) analyzed a national CFS foundation Memorial List containing the names of individuals with CFS who had died. They found the mean age of death for heart failure (59 years), cancer (48 years), and suicide (39 years) among those with CFS was considerably younger than the mean age of deaths in the general population from heart failure (83 years), cancer (72 years), and suicide (48 years), suggesting that CFS might have increased the risk of death for at least this sample.…”

Estimating the disease burden of ME/CFS in the United States and its relation to research funding

“…In addition to the increased mortality due to these causes, the 2006 Jason and 2016 McManimem studies also reported that these deaths occurred at a significantly earlier age than normal [31,33].…”

“…However, studies by , March (2014), and McManimen (2016) have documented abnormally high levels of death due to cancer, cardiovascular disease, and suicide [31][32][33]. Jason analyzed a memorial list of 166 deceased individuals and reported that approximately 20% died of each of these three causes.…”