Earlier in the year, the ME Association asked the ME/CFS and Long Covid community to complete a website survey looking at hypersensitivities, sensitivities and intolerances.
We are conducted the survey to find out:
- How common hypersensitivities / sensitivities / intolerances are in ME/CFS compared with Long Covid
- Whether they emerged at or before the onset of ME/CFS and Long Covid or during the course of your illness
- How severely these symptoms affect your activities of daily living
- How they affect your quality of life
Further information can be found in the The MEA Clinical & Research Guide (also known as the ‘Purple Book’). The NICE Guideline also discusses how people with severely affected by ME often experience sensitivity to light and sound – which can have a major impact on quality of life.
Website survey results (881 entries)
- ME/CFS 86%
- Long Covid 6%
- Post Covid ME/CFS 8%
Snapshot: Top Hypersensitivities, Sensitivities and intolerances for ME/CFS
- Alcohol intolerance 64%
- Food intolerances 65%
- Photophobia (sensitivity to light) 71%
- Hyperacusis (sensitivity to sound) 80%
- Sensory overload 74%
- Thermoregulation (sensitivity to changes in temperature) 83%
- Sensitivity to medication 49%
Snapshot: Top Hypersensitivities, Sensitivities and intolerances for Long Covid
- Alcohol intolerance 42%
- Food intolerances 65%
- Hyperacusis (sensitivity to sound) 73%
- Sensory overload 67%
- Thermoregulation (sensitivity to changes in temperature) 69%
- Sensitivity to medication 29%
Information
The ME Association: Sensitivities, Intolerances, and Hypersensitivities | October 2021