Asprusten, Tarjei Tørre, Sulheim, Dag, Fagermoen, Even et al. · BMJ paediatrics open · 2018 · DOI
This study looked at whether a diagnostic checklist called SEID (Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease) could reliably identify and predict outcomes in teenagers with ME/CFS. The researchers compared 120 adolescents who did or didn't meet the SEID criteria and found that the criteria didn't actually help predict who would improve over time. Interestingly, teens who met the SEID criteria were more likely to show symptoms of depression, which raises questions about whether the criteria are truly measuring ME/CFS itself.
Accurate diagnostic criteria are essential for identifying ME/CFS patients in research and clinical practice. This study challenges whether the current SEID criteria effectively distinguish patient subgroups or predict treatment response in adolescents, highlighting the ongoing need for better, validated diagnostic tools in this population.
This study does not establish that SEID criteria are invalid for adults or in other contexts, only that their utility in adolescent CFS may be limited. The observed mood symptoms in the SEID-positive group are associational; the study cannot determine whether mood disturbance causes misclassification or represents a true ME/CFS symptom. The 30-week follow-up may be too short to detect long-term prognostic differences.
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
Asprusten, Tarjei Tørre, Sulheim, Dag, Fagermoen, Even, Winger, Anette, Skovlund, Eva, & Wyller, Vegard Bruun (2018). Systemic exertion intolerance disease diagnostic criteria applied on an adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome cohort: evaluation of subgroup differences and prognostic utility.. BMJ paediatrics open. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2017-000233
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-asprusten-2018-systemic-exertion,
author = {Asprusten, Tarjei Tørre and Sulheim, Dag and Fagermoen, Even and Winger, Anette and Skovlund, Eva and Wyller, Vegard Bruun},
title = {Systemic exertion intolerance disease diagnostic criteria applied on an adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome cohort: evaluation of subgroup differences and prognostic utility.},
journal = {BMJ paediatrics open},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.1136/bmjpo-2017-000233},
note = {PubMed: 29637195},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/asprusten-2018-systemic-exertion},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/asprusten-2018-systemic-exertion
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