Lloyd, A R, Hickie, I, Boughton, C R et al. · The Medical journal of Australia · 1990 · DOI
This Australian study estimated how common ME/CFS is in the community by looking for cases in a town of 114,000 people. Researchers found about 37 cases per 100,000 people, mostly affecting young adults of both sexes. The illness caused serious problems for patients, with nearly half unable to work or attend school.
This was the first rigorous epidemiological prevalence study in Australia, providing crucial epidemiological data that established ME/CFS as a significant public health problem affecting young people across all social classes. The study's rigorous case-finding methodology and standardized diagnostic approach helped validate ME/CFS as a recognizable disease entity worthy of clinical and research attention.
This prevalence snapshot cannot determine what causes ME/CFS or explain the female predominance observed. The cross-sectional design cannot establish incidence rates, prognosis, or whether prevalence changes over time. It also does not prove the disorder is primary or neurobiological in origin—only that it occurs at measurable rates in the community.
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
Lloyd, A R, Hickie, I, Boughton, C R, Spencer, O, & Wakefield, D (1990). Prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome in an Australian population.. The Medical journal of Australia. https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.1990.tb126191.x
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-lloyd-1990-prevalence-chronic,
author = {Lloyd, A R and Hickie, I and Boughton, C R and Spencer, O and Wakefield, D},
title = {Prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome in an Australian population.},
journal = {The Medical journal of Australia},
year = {1990},
doi = {10.5694/j.1326-5377.1990.tb126191.x},
note = {PubMed: 2233474},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/lloyd-1990-prevalence-chronic},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/lloyd-1990-prevalence-chronic
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