Adamowicz, Jenna L, Sirotiak, Zoe, Lendvai, Dora et al. · Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses · 2026 · DOI
This study looked at how common chronic pain is in people with ME/CFS and how it affects their lives. Researchers found that about 7 out of 10 people with ME/CFS also experience chronic pain lasting months or longer. People with both ME/CFS and chronic pain reported more depression, anxiety, and difficulty with daily activities compared to people who only have chronic pain.
This study quantifies the substantial burden of chronic pain in ME/CFS and demonstrates that comorbid pain is associated with significantly worse mental health and quality-of-life outcomes. These findings support the clinical need for integrated, multi-symptom management approaches rather than treating ME/CFS and pain as separate conditions.
This study does not establish that chronic pain causes the reduced quality-of-life in ME/CFS patients—only that they occur together. It cannot prove whether ME/CFS causes the pain, pain causes ME/CFS, or whether a third factor causes both. The study also cannot determine which specific pain management or ME/CFS interventions would be most effective.
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 →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Adamowicz, Jenna L, Sirotiak, Zoe, Lendvai, Dora, Thomas, Emily B K, Lund, Brian C, Driscoll, Mary A, et al. (2026). Chronic Pain Prevalence, Characteristics, and Impact in United States Adults With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.. Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2025.10.006
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-adamowicz-2026-chronic-pain,
author = {Adamowicz, Jenna L and Sirotiak, Zoe and Lendvai, Dora and Thomas, Emily B K and Lund, Brian C and Driscoll, Mary A and Hadlandsmyth, Katherine},
title = {Chronic Pain Prevalence, Characteristics, and Impact in United States Adults With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.},
journal = {Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1016/j.pmn.2025.10.006},
note = {PubMed: 41173685},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/adamowicz-2026-chronic-pain},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/adamowicz-2026-chronic-pain
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