Women who have suffered domestic abuse are twice at risk of contracting long-term illnesses which cause extensive pain and acute exhaustion, a new study has found.

The report, which was carried out by the University of Birmingham and Warwick, discovered women who have been subjected to abuse from partners are almost twice as likely to develop fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome than people who have not.

Fibromyalgia is a long-term condition which causes pain all over the body or just in the back and neck, extreme sensitivity and tiredness.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is also a long-term medical condition with symptoms which include debilitating fatigue after physical exertion, muscle and joint pain, sensitivity to light and other persistent symptoms which constrain the capacity to do normal everyday tasks.

The first of its kind study, published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, looked at GP records dating between 1995 and 2017 of 18,547 women who had suffered domestic abuse compared to 74,188 who had not.

Inside a Women's Refuge Show all 34 1 /34 Inside a Women's Refuge Inside a Women's Refuge A resident at the refuge looks out into the garden and children's outdoor play area Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Mothers try to make the rooms as homely as possible for their children Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A mother who is visiting her two daughters who are residents at the refuge after fleeing from domestic violence Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Children's books inside the play area of the refuge Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The messages on the butterflies are written by women who have stayed at Reigate and Banstead Women's Aid (RBWA) Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Residents at the refuge support and empower each other Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Charlotte Kneer, a survivor of domestic abuse and CEO of RBWA Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Women send a message to future residents Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The children who live at the refuge have great fun doing arts and crafts Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge This photograph was taken by one of the children living at the refuge who loved experimenting with the camera Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge 'Living with the Dominator' by Pat Craven is a book about the Freedom Programme. It has been designed to help women affected by domestic abuse Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A woman sits inside the smoking area Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Dolls on the windowsill in the children's indoor play room Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Having a refuge space can be life-saving for many women and their children Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Over time, women in the refuge make friends and feel more at home Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Inside one of the bedrooms. Women can stay at the refuge for up to six months Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The kitchen is a communal area were women cook and prepare meals Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Charlotte Kneer, CEO of RBWA, in her office Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Messages are seen on colourful butterfly cut-outs Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A children's indoor play area Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A picture painted by an ex-resident Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The children spend time in the large garden and playground area Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Paintings by ex-residents Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Inside one of the bedrooms at the refuge Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge These butterflies were made by the children at the refuge Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The refuge offers clean furnished rooms Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Women want to pass on an encouraging message on to future residents of the refuge Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A staircase leading up to the rooms Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A picture painted by an ex-resident Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A highchair inside the main living room Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge In an outdoor area, one of the rooms is used for counselling and group meetings Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge RBWA provides safe refuge, support and advice for women and children who have experienced domestic violence Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The refuge has a large garden with playground equipment Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The children love spending time in the outdoor play area Angela Christofilou

Dr Joht Singh Chandan, one of the report’s authors, said: “These are difficult illnesses to live with. Domestic abuse is a global public health issue, with as many as one in three women affected worldwide.

“Recent UK estimates suggest that 27 per cent of women have experienced some form of domestic abuse, with a large proportion of these cases expected to be women who have suffered violence at the hands of an intimate partner.

“Considering the prevalence of domestic abuse, and the fact that patients experiencing fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome often face delays in diagnosis due to a limited understanding generally of how these conditions are caused, it is important for clinicians to bear in mind that women who have survived abuse are at a greater risk of these conditions.”

Dr Chandan, who works for both the University of Birmingham and Warwick, said there were three key reasons why domestic abuse can cause fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

He said: “One is the element of stress suffered during and after the abusive relationship, another element is the fact the actual physical, emotional, psychological abuse can cause inflammation in the body. Also, the mental health issues that can come about as a result of abuse are a risk factor.”

The doctor, who has an interest in public health, said he hoped the research would change healthcare practice and help fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome be more quickly diagnosed in domestic abuse survivors.

Birmingham University published research in June which found women who endure domestic abuse are three times more likely to develop a serious mental illness.

There had been uncertainty surrounding whether the mental illness or the domestic abuse came first prior to the study which managed to establish the correlation goes in each direction.

Professor Julie Taylor, of the University of Birmingham’s School of Nursing, said: “Survivors of domestic abuse can experience immense physiological and psychological stress.

“The changes that happen in the body as a result of such stress can lead to a multitude of poor health outcomes such as what we see in our study here.

“However, more research needs to be done to establish the biopsychosocial pathways that cause this link between abuse and these types of health conditions. This is a very complex relationship and it is important to emphasise that not all women who have been abused will develop fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome, and that having these conditions does not mean there has been domestic abuse in the past.”

Professor Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay, of the University of Birmingham’s Department of Economics and Centre for Crime, Justice and Policing, said the research indicates the “costs of abuse” are even greater than previously realised.