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Table 1 Characteristics of included studies

From: The expressed needs of people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: A systematic review

Study

Country

Number of people with CFS/ME*

CFS/ME illness

Age (years)

Female gender

Ethnicity and Socioeconomic status

   

Duration (years)

Severity

   

Anonymous 1997[13]

United States

1

NR

Moderate to severe

Adult

100%

NR

Asbring 2002[24]; Asbring 2004[21]

Sweden

12

1 to 23

A range: full time employed to sick leave, temporary disability or sickness pensions.

32 to 65

100%

NR

Ashby et al 2006[27]

United Kingdom

10

0.4 to 2

NR

8 to 16

70%

NR

Blake 1993[14]

Canada

1

NR

Severe

29

100%

Caucasian, well educated

Carlsen 2003[22]

Norway

5

NR

NR

23 to 67

80%

NR

Clarke 1999[6]; Clarke & James 2003[7]

Canada

59

A range

80% Severe; 20% moderate

18 to 80

65%

Ethnicity NR; a range of education levels

Denz-Penhey 1993[18]

New Zealand

10

NR

NR

6 to 18

NR

NR

Dumit, 2006[5]

United States

NR (180,000 on-line discussion postings)

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

Edwards et al 2007[8]

United Kingdom

8

<1

Moderate to severe

18 +

100%

White British, Chinese and mixed; Socioeconomic NR

Garralda & Rangel 2004[10]

United Kingdom

28

NR

Moderate to severe, but all at school or home tuition

10 to 18

78%

A range of ethnicity and social class

Gray & Fossey 2003[35]

Australia

5

2 to 10

Severe

16 to 44

NR

NR

Green et al 1999[11]

United States

44

Mean 4.1

NR

18 to 57

89%

A range of ethnicity; socioeconomic NR

Hammond 2002[34]

United Kingdom

586

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

Hoad 1994[15]

United Kingdom

1

3

Moderate

fifties

100%

White British; Socioeconomic NR

Horton-Salway 2004[28]

United Kingdom

15

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

Jackson 1994[31]

United Kingdom

3

2 to 6

Severe

20 to 51

100%

NR

Jason et al 1996[40]

United States, Canada, Mexico

984

NR

A range

18 to 84

99%

NR

Lee et al 2001[30]

Canada

50

NR

Severe

20 to 64

56%

NR

Moore 2001[37]

United States

1

8

Moderate

NR

100%

Ethnicity NR; High education

Ong et al 2005[19]

United Kingdom

1

17

Severe

NR

100%

NR

Prins et al 2004[32]

The Netherlands

268

2 and more

NR

18 to 60

78.5%

NR

Rangel et al 2000[41]

United Kingdom

25

More than 3

Severe

12 to 20

NR

NR

Reynolds and Vivat 2006[26]

United Kingdom

3

16 and more

Moderate to severe

51 to 62

100%

White British; high education and 'home-maker'

Richards et al 2006[33]

United Kingdom

21

More than 3

Moderate to severe

11 to 20

62%

NR

Roche & Tucker 2003[23]

United Kingdom

≈ 474

A range

NR

12 to 20

NR

NR

Schoofs et al 2004[29]

United States

46

NR

NR

18 and more

91%

NR

Schweitzer et al 1995[36]

Australia

47

NR

Moderate to severe

26 to 50

70%

NR

Sutton 1996[17]

United Kingdom

2

15 to 30

Moderate to severe

NR

50%

NR

Taylor & Kielhofner 2003[12]

United States

1

3

Moderate

28

100%

2nd generation Irish immigrants; High education

Taylor 2004[9]

United States

47

NR

Moderate to severe

mean 49

96%

A range of ethnicity and social class

Weisstein, 2006[16]

United States

1

26

Extremely Severe

About 50

100%

Non- minority; High education

Whitehead 2006a[25]; 2006b[20]

United Kingdom

17

A range

Severe

13 to 63

65%

NR

  1. NR: not reported