Bazelmans, E, Vercoulen, J H, Galama, J M et al. · Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde · 1997
This study asked general doctors across the Netherlands how many ME/CFS and fibromyalgia patients they saw in their practices. Based on their responses, researchers estimated that about 112 out of every 100,000 people in the Netherlands have ME/CFS, and 157 out of every 100,000 have fibromyalgia. The study found that both conditions affect mostly women and tend to develop in early-to-middle adulthood.
This study provides rare epidemiological data on ME/CFS prevalence in a developed healthcare system during the 1990s, helping establish that ME/CFS is not exceptionally rare and affects a substantial proportion of the population. Understanding prevalence is critical for resource allocation, healthcare planning, and recognition of disease burden in clinical practice.
This study does not prove diagnostic criteria or case definitions for ME/CFS; it relies on physicians' own identification of patients, which may vary widely. It also does not establish causation or pathophysiology, nor does it assess symptom severity, duration of illness, or functional impact. The cross-sectional design provides only a snapshot and cannot determine incidence or prognosis.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Bazelmans, E, Vercoulen, J H, Galama, J M, van Weel, C, van der Meer, J W, & Bleijenberg, G (1997). [Prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome and primary fibromyalgia syndrome in The Netherlands].. Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9543739/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-bazelmans-1997-prevalence-chronic,
author = {Bazelmans, E and Vercoulen, J H and Galama, J M and van Weel, C and van der Meer, J W and Bleijenberg, G},
title = {[Prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome and primary fibromyalgia syndrome in The Netherlands].},
journal = {Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde},
year = {1997},
note = {PubMed: 9543739},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/bazelmans-1997-prevalence-chronic},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/bazelmans-1997-prevalence-chronic
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