it is estimated that more than 580,000 canadians live with myalgic encephalomyelitis (me), formerly known as chronic fatigue syndrome, or me/cfs.
this evaluation was noted in a federal government health research news release in 2019, which also stated “this poorly understood, multi-system disease is debilitating and can strike individuals of all backgrounds and at any age.”
patients experience symptoms including:
- unrelenting exhaustion following mild physical and cognitive activity that is not relieved by rest
- muscle and joint pain
- headaches
- inability to remain standing due to sudden drops in blood pressure
- poor sleep quality
the cause is not fully understood, there are no diagnostic tests available, and there is currently no cure.
it is not difficult to imagine that a disorder that currently cannot be identified by a single medical test and for which there is no specific treatment or cure, presents a challenge when making a long-term disability claim.
like depression or fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome is an invisible illness, due to the difficulty of measuring its symptoms objectively. many members of the public, the medical community, and particularly, insurance companies, have yet to catch up with respect to acknowledging and accepting cfs as a genuine condition with debilitating effects.
persons suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (cfs) have typically been struggling with their symptoms for a long time before being diagnosed. in fact, a recent study from the
u.s. centers for disease control and prevention
shows more than nine in 10 people with me/cfs have not been diagnosed by a doctor. to make matters worse, people with chronic fatigue syndrome are sometimes stigmatized or told that they are exaggerating their condition and don’t have a “real illness”.
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