It is estimated that at any one time 1% of young people in the UK are suffering from significant debilitating fatigue that stops them attending school and carrying out their normal activities. In more severe cases they become bedbound for years, often also suffering from neurological disturbances and severe pain in muscles and joints. Although a diagnosis of ME and treatment by a specialist centre can lead to a complete recovery in the vast majority of cases, 85% of young people don’t have access to this support. Some wait up to nine years to be seen, missing out on a normal childhood or adolescence. To discuss the impact on young people and their families Jenni talks to Mary Jane Willows from the Association of Young People with ME, and Dr Esther Crawley, Consultant Paediatrician at the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases. We also hear from a mother and daughter who has the condition.
