Balshi, Alexandra, Dempsey, John P, Thompson, Hannah R et al. · Journal of psychiatric research · 2026 · DOI
This study looked at whether ME/CFS is more common in sexual minority adults (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and other non-heterosexual people) compared to heterosexual adults in the United States. Researchers found that about 2.4% of sexual minority adults reported ME/CFS, compared to 1.7% of heterosexual adults. Even after accounting for other health conditions and life factors, sexual minority adults had about 1.5 times higher odds of having ME/CFS.
This study highlights that ME/CFS disproportionately affects sexual minority populations, an underrecognized health disparity. Understanding which populations carry higher ME/CFS burden is essential for equitable research recruitment, clinical care design, and identifying potential biological, psychosocial, or healthcare access factors that may contribute to disease risk.
This study does not prove that sexual minority status causes ME/CFS; it only demonstrates correlation in a cross-sectional snapshot. It cannot determine whether the elevated prevalence is due to biological factors, increased stress/discrimination exposure, healthcare access differences, or diagnostic ascertainment bias. The study also cannot establish causality or directionality, nor does it explore the specific mechanisms underlying the disparity.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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