Brimmer, Dana J, Maloney, Elizabeth, Devlin, Rebecca et al. · BMC research notes · 2013 · DOI
This study tested whether doctors and patient groups could help identify people with ME/CFS for a patient registry (a database of medical information). Researchers in Georgia contacted healthcare providers and a local ME/CFS support group to refer patients for evaluation. Of 104 people who completed clinic visits, 36% had ME/CFS, 17% had fatigue that didn't quite meet ME/CFS criteria, and 47% had other medical or psychiatric conditions instead. This shows that many people with fatigue symptoms may have treatable conditions other than ME/CFS.
This study demonstrates the practical feasibility of building a ME/CFS registry and shows that nearly half of patients initially suspected of having ME/CFS actually have other treatable conditions. Understanding the difference between ME/CFS and other fatiguing illnesses is crucial for patients to receive appropriate diagnosis and treatment.
This pilot study does not prove the prevalence of ME/CFS in the general population, as it was limited to one geographic area and relied on voluntary referral and self-selection. It does not establish definitive diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS beyond the 1994 case definition used, nor does it address why referral source affects diagnostic classification patterns.
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
Brimmer, Dana J, Maloney, Elizabeth, Devlin, Rebecca, Jones, James F, Boneva, Roumiana, Nagler, Caryn, et al. (2013). A pilot registry of unexplained fatiguing illnesses and chronic fatigue syndrome.. BMC research notes. https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-0500-6-309
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-brimmer-2013-pilot-registry,
author = {Brimmer, Dana J and Maloney, Elizabeth and Devlin, Rebecca and Jones, James F and Boneva, Roumiana and Nagler, Caryn and LeRoy, Lisa and Royal, Scott and Tian, Hao and Lin, Jin-Mann S and Kasten, Jennifer and Unger, Elizabeth R},
title = {A pilot registry of unexplained fatiguing illnesses and chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {BMC research notes},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.1186/1756-0500-6-309},
note = {PubMed: 23915640},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/brimmer-2013-pilot-registry},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/brimmer-2013-pilot-registry
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