RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Prevalence and incidence of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome in Europe—the Euro-epiME study from the European network EUROMENE: a protocol for a systematic review
JF BMJ Open
JO BMJ Open
FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group
SP e020817
DO 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020817
VO 8
IS 9
A1 Fernando Estévez-López
A1 Jesus Castro-Marrero
A1 Xia Wang
A1 Inger Johanne Bakken
A1 Andrejs Ivanovs
A1 Luis Nacul
A1 Nuno Sepúlveda
A1 Elin B Strand
A1 Derek Pheby
A1 Jose Alegre
A1 Carmen Scheibenbogen
A1 Evelina Shikova
A1 Lorenzo Lorusso
A1 Enrica Capelli
A1 Slobodan Sekulic
A1 Eliana Lacerda
A1 Modra Murovska
A1 ,
YR 2018
UL http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/8/9/e020817.abstract
AB Introduction Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic disease involving central nervous system and immune system disorders, as well as cardiovascular abnormalities. ME/CFS is characterised by severe chronic fatigue lasting for at least 6 months, including clinical symptoms such as tender cervical or axillary lymph nodes, muscle pain, joint pain without swelling or redness, post-exertional malaise for more than 24 hours and unrefreshing sleep. Studies on the epidemiology of ME/CFS in Europe only include single countries and, therefore, the prevalence and incidence of ME/CFS in Europe (as a whole) is unknown. One of the purposes of the European Network on ME/CFS (EUROMENE; European Union-funded COST Action; Reference number: 15111) is to address this gap in knowledge. We will systematically review the literature reporting figures from European countries to provide a robust summary and identify new challenges.Methods and analysis We will systematically search the literature databases Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science for studies published in the last 10 years (ie, after 2007). No language restriction will be applied. Two independent reviewers will search, screen and select studies as well as extract data about their main characteristics and evaluate their methodological and reporting quality. When disagreements emerge, the reviewers will discuss to reach a consensus. We plan to produce a narrative summary of our findings as we anticipate that studies are scarce and heterogeneous. The possibility of performing meta-analyses will be discussed in a EUROMENE meeting.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not required as only publicly available data will be included. Findings will be described in EUROMENE reports, published in peer-reviewed journal(s) and presented at conferences. The findings will be also communicated to policy-makers, healthcare providers, people with ME/CFS and other sections of society through regular channels including the mass-media.PROSPERO registration number CRD42017078688