Make Visible: Understanding Complex Illness #12 "Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions" in ME/CFS, new insights with the C.D.C’s Dr Elizabeth Unger, Yang Chen & Elizabeth Fall
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Mar 27, 2025 
Dr. Elizabeth Unger, Chief of the Chronic Viral Diseases Branch at the CDC, and Yang Chen, an epidemiologist at the CDC, delve into groundbreaking research on ME/CFS and its intersection with Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions (COPCs). They reveal that three-quarters of ME/CFS patients experience COPCs like fibromyalgia and chronic migraines, stressing the need for better education for healthcare providers. Their insights also pave the way for future studies aimed at improving diagnostics and treatment for chronic pain in individuals with ME/CFS.
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Educate Primary Care Providers
- Educate primary care providers on ME/CFS diagnosis and management through targeted continuing medical education.
- Use accessible platforms like Medscape to reach healthcare professionals effectively.
Unified Approach to Post-Infectious Conditions
- ME/CFS and other chronic post-infection conditions share underlying similarities and may benefit from integrated research.
- COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to study these illnesses collectively to understand their pathogenesis.
COPCs Prevalence in ME/CFS
- Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions (COPCs) frequently co-occur with ME/CFS and in 75% of ME/CFS patients at least one COPC is present.
- Managing COPCs like migraine or fibromyalgia may alleviate some ME/CFS symptoms, improving patients' quality of life.