relevance and timeliness

It is crucial to establish the prevalence of this condition to estimate the economic impact across Europe, which is currently largely hidden. Multidisciplinary approaches to the management of ME/CFS using a bio-psychosocial model of rehabilitation (CBT and GET) provide modest benefit to functioning at best; despite this, these therapies have been increasingly recommended as treatments. As more therapies are proposed and developed, an understanding of uptake and costs would be useful in health planning.

Since ME/CFS is a heterogeneous condition, a multicentre approach for studying different populations will prove essential to understanding the increasing numbers of biological diagnostic/monitoring tests and potential therapies under investigation.