Breau, L M, McGrath, P J, Ju, L H · Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBP · 1999 · DOI
This review examined research on fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in children. The authors found that these conditions in young people may work differently than they do in adults, and that they might be more closely related to each other than previously thought. The review suggests that these illnesses are likely caused by biological and genetic factors rather than psychological problems.
This review is important because it challenges the assumption that ME/CFS in children is simply a smaller version of adult disease, which has significant implications for diagnosis and treatment approaches. Establishing that genetic factors likely play a role helps counter stigmatizing psychological explanations that have hindered research and clinical care. Understanding pediatric ME/CFS as potentially distinct from adult forms may lead to more appropriate, age-specific interventions.
This review does not definitively prove the genetic mechanisms underlying ME/CFS or fibromyalgia, as it synthesizes existing literature rather than presenting new experimental data. It does not establish which specific genes are involved or how they contribute to disease pathology. The review also cannot determine treatment efficacy, as the authors explicitly note the lack of well-designed controlled trials in the pediatric population.
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
Breau, L M, McGrath, P J, & Ju, L H (1999). Review of juvenile primary fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.. Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBP. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004703-199908000-00010
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-breau-1999-review-juvenile,
author = {Breau, L M and McGrath, P J and Ju, L H},
title = {Review of juvenile primary fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBP},
year = {1999},
doi = {10.1097/00004703-199908000-00010},
note = {PubMed: 10475602},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/breau-1999-review-juvenile},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/breau-1999-review-juvenile
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