Buchwald, D, Umali, J, Stene, M · The Journal of rheumatology · 1996
Researchers tested whether people with ME/CFS have lower levels of a growth hormone called IGF-I, which had previously been found to be low in fibromyalgia patients. They measured IGF-I levels in 15 people with ME/CFS, 15 with both ME/CFS and fibromyalgia, 27 with fibromyalgia alone, and 15 healthy volunteers. The study found no significant differences in IGF-I levels between any of the patient groups and healthy controls, suggesting that low IGF-I may not be a key feature of ME/CFS.
This study directly addresses a proposed biological mechanism—disruption of the growth hormone-IGF-I axis—that could explain muscle pain and sleep disturbances in ME/CFS. Understanding whether this hormonal pathway is abnormal is important for identifying potential treatment targets and distinguishing between ME/CFS and fibromyalgia.
This study does not prove that the growth hormone-IGF-I axis is normal in all ME/CFS patients; it only shows no group-level difference in a single referral clinic population. It does not exclude the possibility that IGF-I abnormalities exist in other subgroups of ME/CFS patients, nor does it rule out other hormonal or metabolic disruptions. The cross-sectional design cannot establish causality or temporal relationships.
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
Buchwald, D, Umali, J, & Stene, M (1996). Insulin-like growth factor-I (somatomedin C) levels in chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.. The Journal of rheumatology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8730136/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-buchwald-1996-insulin-like,
author = {Buchwald, D and Umali, J and Stene, M},
title = {Insulin-like growth factor-I (somatomedin C) levels in chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.},
journal = {The Journal of rheumatology},
year = {1996},
note = {PubMed: 8730136},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/buchwald-1996-insulin-like},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/buchwald-1996-insulin-like
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