Question

I am about to try and arrange a life insurance policy and have read a lot of conflicting information about what happens to life expectancy in ME.  Before I approach an insurance broker please could you clarify what the position appears to be and whether I am likely to have problems in obtaining cover at normal rates. 

Answer

In our current state of knowledge it's impossible to draw any firm conclusions as to whether people with ME/CFS have a reduced life expectancy.

There are a small number of very specific circumstances where life expectancy is reduced as a result of having ME/CFS – suicide and malnutrition being two important examples.

There are also aspects of the underlying disease process, and the way that ME/CFS affects all aspects of everyday life, that could be having a negative impact on life expectancy. Examples here include low level inflammation, inability to carry our regular aerobic exercise and weight gain.

On the other hand, there are some aspects of ME/CFS that could actually help to increase life expectancy. Examples here include low blood pressure, not smoking or drinking alcohol, and eating a more healthy and balanced diet.

Overall, life expectancy is a complex puzzle to unravel. So we won't be able to reach any firm conclusions without some high quality epidemiological research and better information from death certification on people with ME/CFS who have sadly died.

In response to questions that arise over life expectancy in relation to applications for life insurance policies the MEA position is that in our current state of knowledge there is no sound evidence to indicate that the underlying disease process in ME/CFS, and the consequences it may have on lifestyle, reduces overall life expectancy.

So I hope you won't have any problems in obtaining your life insurance.

More Information:

• The MEA has a new research summary covering what we know about mortality in ME/CFS in more detail: ME Association Research Review: Mortality in ME/CFS

• Please let us know if you have recently applied to take out life insurance and whether there were any problems relating to ME/CFS.  This would help us to build up a list of insurance companies who are willing to insure people with ME/CFS at normal rates.