2:2:2 How old were you when your ME symptoms first started? Age at is very similar to other current epidemiological evidence, which indicates that the onset of ME/CFS most commonly occurs between the ages of 20 and mid-forties. 2:2:3 How long have you been ill or, if recovered, for how long were you ill? 2:2:4 What is your gender? Epidemiological studies consistently report a female: male sex ratio in ME/CFS in the region of 70:30. However, the figures here are not uncommon. See our caveat in Section 6 above. 2: 3 Notes: Section 1 of the report (Introduction) at 1:2 gives definitions of CBT, GET and Pacing as used in this survey, but: Examples of CBT might include being taught that your muscle fatigue/weakness was more likely to have a psychological cause, or more likely to be due to being unfit (deconditioned), than having a physical cause; or being taught that there is nothing wrong with the muscles in ME and so it is unhelpful to believe that exercise could make symptoms worse. Examples of GET might include being asked to regularly walk a certain distance each day, or several times a day, and then to progressively increase this activity on a regular basis; or being told to join a gym as part of an exercise programme. Examples of Pacing might include you identifying which activities you were able to do, how often and under what circumstances, and then not increasing those activities until you could manage them without the occurrence of post-exertional malaise; or restricting the number of times you repeat activities which you find demanding or stressful.
2:2:2 How old were you when your ME symptoms first started? Age at is very similar to other current epidemiological evidence, which indicates that the onset of ME/CFS most commonly occurs between the ages of 20 and mid-forties. 2:2:3 How long have you been ill or, if recovered, for how long were you ill? 2:2:4 What is your gender? Epidemiological studies consistently report a female: male sex ratio in ME/CFS in the region of 70:30. However, the figures here are not uncommon. See our caveat in Section 6 above. 2: 3 Notes: Section 1 of the report (Introduction) at 1:2 gives definitions of CBT, GET and Pacing as used in this survey, but: Examples of CBT might include being taught that your muscle fatigue/weakness was more likely to have a psychological cause, or more likely to be due to being unfit (deconditioned), than having a physical cause; or being taught that there is nothing wrong with the muscles in ME and so it is unhelpful to believe that exercise could make symptoms worse. Examples of GET might include being asked to regularly walk a certain distance each day, or several times a day, and then to progressively increase this activity on a regular basis; or being told to join a gym as part of an exercise programme. Examples of Pacing might include you identifying which activities you were able to do, how often and under what circumstances, and then not increasing those activities until you could manage them without the occurrence of post-exertional malaise; or restricting the number of times you repeat activities which you find demanding or stressful.