Women with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) tend to have more symptoms and co-occurring conditions than men, according to the world’s largest study of the disease. The study, entitled DecodeME, reveals women who have the condition for more than 10 years are more likely to experience increasingly severe symptoms as they get older. ME/CFS is estimated to affect more than 250,000 people in the UK, of all ages and from all social and economic backgrounds. Its key feature, called post-exertional malaise, is a delayed dramatic worsening of symptoms following minor physical effort. Other symptoms include pain, brain fog and extreme energy limitation that does not improve with rest. Causes are unknown and there is currently no diagnostic test or cure. Experts from the University of Edinburgh analysed anonymous survey questionnaires from more than 17,000 people with ME/CFS. Two-thirds of women, and slightly more than half of men, reported at least one active co-occurring condition. Similarly, 39.2% of women and 28.6% of men reported at least one inactive co-occurring condition. We discovered that the disease is worse for women, in older people, and many years after their ME/CFS started Professor Chris Ponting of the University of Edinburgh A condition was considered active if the participant had experienced symptoms in the preceding six months. The most common active co-occurring condition was irritable bowel syndrome, with clinical depression, fibromyalgia, anaemia and hypothyroidism also featuring prominently. Women also reported, on average, more symptoms than men – 42 compared with 36. The most common of these symptoms were brain fog – a term commonly used to describe the cognitive impairment experienced by participants – unrefreshing sleep and muscle pain. These findings highlight the very serious impact ME/CFS has on women who are disproportionately affected Sonya Chowdhury, chief executive of Action for M.E Participants were also asked to define the severity of their illness from mild to very severe using definitions from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. Experts identified that being a woman and having ME/CFS for more than 10 years are risk factors for severe illness, with symptoms increasing in intensity as they age. Professor Chris Ponting, study lead from the MRC human genetics unit at the University of Edinburgh’s Institute of Genetics and Cancer, said: “ME/CFS is a devastating disease affecting a UK population the size of Derby. “We discovered that the disease is worse for women, in older people, and many years after their ME/CFS started. “Our hope is that DecodeME’s genetic results will shed light on why certain groups are more susceptible to ME/CFS than others.” Sonya Chowdhury, chief executive of Action for M.E. and chair of the management group of the study, said: “These findings highlight the very serious impact ME/CFS has on women who are disproportionately affected. “It’s important to also recognise the impact that it has on men who have ME/CFS and we thank the 20,000 men and women who have already signed up to take part in this very important study. “We still need more to join us, so if you are 16 or older, live in the UK and have a diagnosis of ME/CFS, please do take part now to help us decode ME at www.decodeme.org.uk/portal.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live 4 hacks to get teens off the sofa and get active – as study warns of heart damage Taking adult education classes may lower risk of dementia, study suggests Indiyah Polack: I didn’t want to go on Love Island because of my acne

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The recent dating rumours surrounding Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have been unavoidable, particularly due to the pop star attending two of the NFL player's recent games - but there is a conspiracy theory circulating about her latest appearance. Cheering from the standings, the 33-year-old appeared to be in her element when she watched the Kansas City Chiefs against the Chicago Bears on September 24. Then she was spotted at MetLife Stadium on Monday (October 2) watching the Super Bowl winners defeat the New York Jets with celebrity pals such as Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and Sophie Turner. But it's this latest game that has the conspiracy theorists convinced that she attended the New York Jets game to detract from criticisms of her use of private jets. Confused on how this has been deduced? Well, the theory is all about SEO and search results. Basically, some theorise that Swift's recent football game attendance means that when people search "Taylor Swift jets" the latest reports of her at the match will appear at the top of the search results, rather than links to data concerning her use of private jets. Molly McPherson, a pop culture PR expert described the move as "brilliant" on TikTok. "Of course, she went to the Jets game for SEO reputation busting. So when you Google 'Taylor Swift and the Jets' you don't get the story about her jet emissions - which most of the articles were digital by the way - you're gonna get Taylor Swift at the Jets game," she said. @mollybmcpherson #stitch with @underthepink (Kristen) Now we have Taylor Swift’s OFFICIAL Response to the Private Jet CO2 Emission Plane problem from 2022. #taylor #taylorswift #seo #pr #publicrelations #fyp #prlady #thejets #nfl #airplane #crisiscommunication Swift has two multi-million dollar planes: a Dassault Falcon 7X and a Dassault Falcon 900, Insider reported and they have spent around 166 hours (seven days) flying back and forth from Swift's Eras Tour shows since March, according to aircraft-tracking website JetSpy. Last year, the Anti-Hero singer came under fire after sustainability marketing firm Yard revealed Swift’s private jet had emitted 8,293.54 tonnes of carbon dioxide, topping the list of celebrities with the highest amount of carbon emissions due to this. In the data breakdown, Swift had reportedly taken 170 trips and travelled an average of about 140 miles per flight. However, Swift's representatives defended her at the time and told the media that her private jet also gets loaned out to other people. “Taylor’s jet is loaned out regularly to other individuals,” a spokesperson said. “To attribute most or all of these trips to her is blatantly incorrect.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

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