ME/CFS Society of WA: Prevalence

Prevalence is a measure of the number of people affected by the disease. Research suggests this is around 0.4% of the population although some studies indicate this could be as high as 0.7% or even greater.

This translates to more than 100,000 people affected by the disease in Australia and greater than 8,000 in Western Australia -a prevalence far exceeding that of AIDS, breast or lung cancer. The incidence is known to be higher in women than men by a ratio of around 3:1.

Severity of the disease and accompanying disability varies widely though it is broadly accepted those most severely affected represent about 25% of this total. This would indicate there are more than 20,000 severely affected people in Australia and over 2,000 in Western Australia. Recent US research shows fewer than 20% of cases are currently being diagnosed.