By Eddie Ngaluafe in Griffith News.

Griffith University research has calculated the cost of the debilitating illness myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) at $14.5 billion each year in Australia.

Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik, co-director of the National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases (NCNED), says the figure shows the significant economic toll on patients and the broader health economy.

“Our cost of illness analysis accounts for direct health care system costs, out of pocket expenses, the cost of accessing health care and the indirect cost associated with lost income.

“We know patients and carers experience considerable medical and social burdens, but less well known is the extraordinary economic cost to patients, their carers and the Australian economy.”

To read the rest of this story, click on the link below:

Link to ME Research story