Pupils suffering from ME missing more than half-a-day of school every week

The researchers looked at the condition in 5,756 participants and found that girls were almost twice as likely to have it as boys. Children from families facing greater adversity were also more likely to have chronic fatigue.

Dr Esther Crawley, a consultant paediatrician specialising in chronic fatigue syndrome and the report’s senior author, said paediatricians need to get better at identifying ME, particularly in youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds who may be less able to access specialist care.

She added: “This is an important study because it shows that CFS/ME is much more common in teenagers than previously recognised.

“Treatment at this age is effective for most children but few have access to treatment in the UK. Children attending my specialist service at the Royal United Hospital in Bath only attend two days a week of school on average. This means only the most severe cases are getting help.”