[Interdisciplinary, collaborative D-A-CH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) consensus statement concerning the diagnostic and treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome].

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a severe, chronic multisystemic disease which, depending on its severity, can lead to considerable physical and cognitive impairment, loss of ability to work and the need for nursing care including artificial nutrition and, in very severe cases, even death.The aim of this D-A-CH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) consensus statement is 1) to summarize the current state of knowledge on ME/CFS, 2) to highlight the Canadian Consensus Criteria (CCC) as clinical criteria for diagnostics with a focus on the leading symptom post-exertional malaise (PEM) and 3) to provide an overview of current options and possible future developments, particularly with regard to diagnostics and therapy. The D-A-CH consensus statement is intended to support physicians, therapists and valuer in diagnosing patients with suspected ME/CFS by means of adequate anamnesis and clinical-physical examinations as well as the recommended clinical CCC, using the questionnaires and other examination methods presented.

Clustering of comorbidities is related to age and sex and impacts clinical outcome in myelodysplastic syndromes.

Objectives: Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are typical diseases of the elderly. The clinical outcome of a well-characterized cohort of patients with MDS was analyzed for prevalence and impact of comorbidities to establish the basis for tailored treatment algorithms. Focus was on age- and sex-related differences.